Climatic conditions favor the harvest of summer crops in RS

The next few days of April will see low volumes of rain in most of Rio Grande do Sul, according to the Integrated Agrometeorological Bulletin nº 14/2021, released by the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development (SEAPDR), in partnership with the Emater-RS and Irga.

This Friday (09/04), firm weather will prevail, with temperatures rising across the state. On Saturday (10/04) and Sunday (11/04), the movement of a cold front will cause rain in all regions, with the possibility of isolated thunderstorms, mainly in Campanha and the South Zone.

On Monday (12/04), dry weather will prevail in most regions. Only in the North and Northeast bands will there still be a large variation in clouds, with a chance of isolated rain. On Tuesday (13/04) and Wednesday (14/04), the presence of a mass of dry and cold air will keep the weather firm and cause temperatures to decline, with minimums below 10°C in most regions and values ​​close to 5°C in Campanha and Campos de Cima da Serra.

Predicted precipitation values ​​are expected to range between 10 and 20 mm in most locations in the Northern Half. In other regions, totals will range between 25 and 60 mm, but could exceed 100 mm in the extreme south of the state.

Crop situation

The harvest of summer crops advanced significantly in the State, favored by the weather conditions. Harvest priority is given to soybean and rice crops to the detriment of corn, which can be exposed for longer. Storage structures in the State also limit the entry of grain to make room for soybeans. In the Frederico Westphalen region, the areas planted in corn or tobacco stubble are in the flowering and grain formation phase and are showing good development. Good weather and mild temperatures were very important to speed up the harvest. In the Pelotas region, the harvest will be excellent, as the harvest advances, the areas located at the best times, have high production potential and for most of their cycle, they remained with very good soil moisture conditions. The dry climate and sufficient ground for the movement of machinery favored the harvest. In the Santa Rosa region, productivity varies from 2.700 to 5.760 kilos per hectare. This variability occurs due to differences in precipitation throughout the cycle in different locations, type and depth of soil and water storage capacity, varieties used and sowing time, but also largely due to the technologies and management adopted.

The first harvest of beans continues in Campos de Cima da Serra. Second-crop beans show good development in different regions, however, in Soledade and Frederico Westphalen there is an incidence of anthracnose and whitefly, respectively.

The tobacco harvest is finished in the Santa Rosa and Porto Alegre regions and is being finalized in the Pelotas and Soledade regions. In Pelotas, from the second half of January onwards, cloudier days and constant soil moisture provided better conditions for the plants to continue their vegetative development, providing yields of 1.800 to 2.400 kilos per hectare. Producers carry out tobacco classification activities in dry leaf storage warehouses. At Santa Rosa, the quality of the tobacco from this harvest is lower than the previous one. In Soledade, the quality of the leaves is good. Intense activities in warehouses with leaf classification and marketing; improved farmers' satisfaction with tobacco classification by companies. In Porto Alegre, final phase of selection and commercialization. Some producers have already started preparing beds and seedlings for the next harvest, and sowing.

According to the Rio Grandense do Arroz Institute (Irga), the harvested rice area in Rio Grande do Sul to date is 668.561 hectares, which represents 70,68% of the total sown area of ​​945.940 ha. In just seven days, 138.805 hectares were harvested. The average productivity is 8.946 kilos per hectare. The Outer Coastal Plain is still the region most advanced in harvesting work, with 79,77% (85.595 ha of the 107.300 ha sown). Next comes Fronteira Oeste, with 75,70% (210.703 ha of 278.349 ha). All other regions have already exceeded 60%.

The complete Bulletin can be accessed at www.agricultura.rs.gov.br/agrometeorologia.