The intensification of production systems brings to researchers, consultants and producers the need for a complete view of the system and not just an individual look at each agricultural crop. With this in mind, discussions were held at the 9st Symposium on Intensive Brazilian Cotton Production Systems, held from November 11th to XNUMXth, at the Cenarium Rural, in Cuiabá (MT).
The event was promoted by the Brazilian Association of Cotton Producers (Abrapa), the Federation of Agriculture and Livestock of the State of Mato Grosso (Famato) and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) and included in-person and remote participants via online transmission. -line.
The symposium featured seven round tables, always with the participation of representatives from research, technical consultancy and the production sector. They discussed nematode, weed, pest, disease, post-harvest management, use of cover crops and application technology challenges. In each debate, the need to evaluate the entire system before making decisions about interventions in the crop became evident.
According to the discussants, in systems with intercropped crops in the harvest and second harvest, the occurrence of weeds, pests and diseases is no longer associated with just one crop. Pests that were previously specific to one culture now compromise others. Diseases of one plant use another as a host. Nematodes that multiply in one period can cause damage later. Likewise, the use of a pesticide or cultivar to solve a problem in one crop may generate another in the next crop. Choosing a species in the rotation can either bring the expected benefits or generate unwanted side effects.
“We have to make decisions anticipating the problems that will come. It's like a game of chess. The more we can predict the next moves, the greater the chances of winning the game”, exemplified IMAmt researcher Jacob Netto.
Issues such as the chemical and physical stratification of the soil, resistance of weeds and insect pests, increased importance of pests and diseases, destruction of cultural remains, soil bioanalysis and regulation of bioinputs were debated during the three days of the symposium, enabling exchange of experiences.
For the technical manager of ABC Agrícola, Amarildo Padilha, the more knowledge and information the professional has, the greater the chances of making the correct decisions. Citing his own experience, he showed that even with well-done planning, there are unforeseen situations that can change the expected result.
“If you seek information from research institutions, study, participate in events like this, talk to other people in the field and follow the concepts of agronomy, the chance of making a mistake in your decision is small. But you have to focus and know that it is this technical knowledge that will give you the result. Basic concepts need to be recognized”, highlighted Amarildo Padilha.
Investment in training and training people was also highlighted by many of the speakers as essential for better reading of the system, better decision-making and also the correct execution of the defined management strategy. In this sense, producer Roseli Giachini also highlighted the importance of good communication within the farm. According to her, there is no point in having good monitoring of pests and diseases if there is noise when transferring this information to decision makers. Likewise, if guidance is not provided adequately to those responsible for application, the intervention may end up not being carried out effectively, causing crop losses and waste of inputs.
The increase in production costs and the lower availability of inputs were also mentioned by the speakers as important challenges for managing the systems.
“In difficult years, great ideas emerge. Let's go through a new scenario, in which inputs that used to cost R$200 now cost R$300-R$400. Brazilians adapt to various situations. We will adapt and continue to have great harvests”, said consultant Luiz Henrique Kasuya.
The initiative to hold the 2020st Symposium on Intensive Brazilian Cotton Production Systems came about during a meeting of consultants who work in the cotton production chain precisely with the aim of discussing the production system and not just the culture. Initially scheduled for XNUMX, the event ended up being postponed twice due to the pandemic.
The proposal is for the symposium to be held every two years, interspersed with the Brazilian Cotton Congress.
President of this first edition, Embrapa researcher Luiz Gonzaga Chitarra believes that the event exceeded expectations.
“I believe that those who participated followed very relevant and current lectures and debates. We managed to reach a representative part of the cotton production chain in Mato Grosso and Bahia, which are the states responsible for 90% of production. It was a great learning experience for all of us”, says the researcher.
The 1st Symposium on Intensive Brazilian Cotton Production Systems was sponsored by UPL, Bayer, Basf, FMC and Syngenta.
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