Soybean planting: how the use of new technologies can improve the initial performance of your crop

Planting is one of the most important periods for soybean cultivation, as it is at this moment that we determine the establishment of the stand, which will result in the generation of greater productivity.

Agriculture is an activity extremely dependent on climatic conditions, and even using the best planting techniques, the crop can suffer stress at the beginning of its cycle - which puts its productive potential at risk.

However, there are new technologies that act directly on the nutrition and physiology of plants, improving their initial development even under stress conditions. We highlight here how these technologies can help during planting and avoid possible damage caused by stress.

What are the most frequent stresses after planting soybeans and how do they affect your crop?

In many regions, producers start planting soybeans as early as possible, right after the first rains, to enable the second crop to be sown within the appropriate period. However, climate variations can generate very unstable environmental conditions during this period, with water deficits, high and low temperatures before and after planting.

Main damages caused by climate stress in soybeans

Water constitutes approximately 90% of the mass of plants, acting in almost all of their physiological and biochemical processes. Furthermore, it acts in thermal and osmotic regulation and is the main means of nutrient absorption by plants. It is an irreplaceable resource for soybean production, and its deficit could cause severe and irreversible damage.

The first impact of lack of water after soybean planting is the reduction in germination and seedling emergence speed. During this period, seedlings require greater energy expenditure for establishment and are exposed to diseases and soil pests. This may compromise the initial establishment of the crop.

The lack of water harms the seedlings' cooling system, causing the stomata to close prematurely and consequently less CO2 assimilation.

Under these stress conditions, the plant produces less photoassimilates, absorbs fewer nutrients, and also spends energy on antioxidant metabolic pathways.

That's why young stressed soybean plants usually show the following symptoms:

• Smaller leaves
• Shorter internodes
• Less root development
• Chlorosis

How to prevent damage caused by climate stress after planting?

Now that we understand the main stresses that occur in the initial stages and how they harm soybean crops, it is important to understand what tools are currently available to help in stressful conditions.
Good plant nutrition and the use of new technologies can make crops more efficient in water use, and consequently more tolerant to stress situations. Among the products available on the market, biostimulants or biofertilizers have shown the best results in preventing stress situations after planting.

Use of biostimulants to prevent stress after planting

Biostimulants are substances and/or microorganisms that, when applied to the plant or rhizosphere, stimulate natural processes that benefit absorption, efficient use of nutrients, tolerance to abiotic stress and/or the quality of the crop, regardless of their nutritional content.
In relation to the isolated use of hormones, biostimulants have the advantage of acting on different metabolic routes in the plant, which accelerates and enhances its response.
Even if stressful situations do not occur after planting your crop, the use of biostimulants is a recommended practice that can greatly help the development of the crop, since these products favor the metabolism of plants, improving their productive performance.

BRANDT Plant Start Technology

To help producers maintain crop productivity even in unfavorable conditions, BRANDT developed an innovative technology, BRANDT Plant Start, which is the starting point for high productivity. Due to the organic component of its exclusive raw material, the product has the ability to bioactivate soybean plants, improving their productive potential and increasing their tolerance to stress situations. Among its benefits are:

A safe application with high compatibility with most agricultural pesticides and biological products: rapid initial establishment of plants, increase in the effective area of ​​root absorption, improvement of water use, plant nodulation and biological quality of the soil. The result is the generation of a more productive harvest.

How to improve recovery from damage caused by climate stress after planting?

If your crop has already suffered damage due to a stressful situation, there will be a need to work with products that improve plant recovery and help the farmer protect his production ceiling. These products must have a physiological effect, acting on the antioxidant/anti-stress metabolism of plants.

For these situations, there is BRANDT Completo, focused on metabolic reactivation, with broad physiological action and which acts directly on the antioxidant/anti-stress system of plants.

Its exclusive formulation associated with quickly absorbed essential nutrients accelerates recovery after a stressful situation, helping to maintain its productive potential.

Biostimulant products act on the physiology of plants, increasing their tolerance to stress situations and the use of specialist products can help in the recovery of soybean crops after a stress situation.

Henrique Placido, Agricultural Engineer and Researcher at BRANDT do Brasil