Goiás authorizes tomato transplanting starting February 1st.

The Goiana Agricultural Defense Agency (Agrodefesa) informs that, starting this Sunday (February 1st), tomato transplantation is authorized in Goiás. This measure is stipulated in Normative Instruction No. 6/2011, which established actions and measures for the control of whitefly (Bemisia tabaci, biotype B) and geminivirus in the state. The deadline for transplantation is June 30, 2026.

Goiás leads tomato production in Brazil. According to the president of Agrodefesa, José Ricardo Caixeta Ramos, compliance with phytosanitary measures is fundamental to maintaining the productivity and competitiveness of the sector. “For Goiás to continue growing in tomato production and maintaining its leading position, it is essential that producers comply with the phytosanitary measures foreseen for the crop. These are part of Integrated Pest Management and help control the whitefly, which is currently the main pest affecting tomato cultivation in the state,” he emphasizes.

In the case of ground-grown tomatoes, the calendar authorizes transplanting in all 246 municipalities of Goiás. Staked tomatoes follow the same period, from February 1st to June 30th, but only in the municipalities of Morrinhos, Itaberaí, Turvânia, Cristalina, Luziânia, Silvânia, Orizona, Vianópolis, Palmeiras de Goiás, Piracanjuba, and Goianésia. Morrinhos has two geographic microregions, South and North, with defined planting/transplanting periods for tomatoes, staked or ground-grown, according to Normative Instructions No. 2/2008 and No. 2/2021 of Agrodefesa.

According to Leonardo Macedo, Plant Health Manager at Agrodefesa, the planting and transplanting calendar plays a strategic role in reducing the spread of pests and diseases. “The goal is to reduce the whitefly population, especially that associated with tomato crops, which has a greater capacity for transmitting geminiviruses. By respecting the official calendar, we reduce the source of inoculum for subsequent plantings,” he explains. Macedo also states that “respecting the official calendar provides benefits to the producer and the environment, such as reduced production costs, less exposure of rural workers to chemical agents, decreased use of pesticides, and less environmental impact.”

Crop registration

The tomato management calendar in Goiás also establishes the mandatory registration of crops in the Goiás Agricultural Defense System (Sidago). Registration must be completed within 15 days of the start of transplanting and must be done by the owner, lessee, or occupant, under any title, of ground or trellised tomato crops.

The coordinator of the State Program for Prevention and Control of Tomato Pests, Heloisa Rocha, explains that for registration purposes, a tomato crop will be considered to be a continuous area transplanted within a maximum interval of 15 days, a criterion that must be observed at the time of registration. “In addition to registering the crop, it is important to emphasize the mandatory elimination of tomato crop residues within 10 days after harvesting each plot and the destruction of volunteer tomato plants immediately after they appear. These are substantial actions in the control and prevention of whiteflies,” she reinforces.