Concern about Asian rust increased the sale of protective fungicides in the 2016-17 harvest

The average adoption of protective fungicides jumped from 6% to 38% of the Brazilian soybean area between the 2014-15 and 2016-17 harvests. The data comes from the Spark Intelligence Strategic consultancy. According to the survey, demand for these products grew in the face of increased difficulties in controlling Asian rust in crops, resulting from the reduced performance of traditional (systemic) fungicides.

The agricultural engineer and managing partner of Spark, André Malzoni dos Santos Dias, points out that in the last harvest the most representative percentage of adoption of contact fungicides was recorded in Rio Grande do Sul (55%), but it was also significant in the states of Mato Grosso do Sul (40%), Mato Grosso (39%), São Paulo (39%), Paraná (34%) and Goiás (33%).

“The advancement of contact fungicides signals producers’ concern with controlling rust and combating the resistance of the fungus that causes the disease to traditional products,” adds Dias. According to the company, fungicides to control Asian rust were adopted in 98% of Brazilian crops – systemic products, says Spark, were used in practically 100% of applications.

Fungicide sales represent 33% of the national crop protection market, which generated US$9,6 billion last year, according to industry entities.