Paraná extends soybean planting calendar for seeds.

The Paraná Agricultural Defense Agency (Adapar) signed on Tuesday (January 13th) the decree that extends the soybean planting period in the State, adjusting the sowing calendar due to the impacts caused by climatic factors in the 2025/2026 crop season. The measure specifically addresses the needs of soybean seed producers who faced delays in the release of agricultural areas due to adverse conditions that compromised the cycle of preceding crops, such as corn and beans.

The extension of the planting season is valid exclusively for areas intended for soybean seed production in Paraná. Even with the change in the calendar, the soybean sanitary break remains mandatory, as stipulated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) through a specific decree from the federal government.

According to Adapar's regulations, producers eligible to plant soybeans must meet the following criteria: comply with the seed production requirements set by the Ministry of Agriculture; notify Adapar of the cultivation location five days before the sowing date; ensure harvesting or interruption of the cycle before the start of the sanitary break in their region; and complete the mandatory official form.

In addition to meeting a concrete demand from the productive sector, the measure that allows for the expansion of soybean planting is aligned with the National Program for the Control of Asian Soybean Rust and strategies for rationalizing the use of fungicides, contributing to the sustainability of agricultural production in Paraná.

“Since Paraná is one of the largest seed producers, the registration of companies is currently underway. From there, the inspection process regarding seed production will begin,” states Otamir Martins, CEO of Adapar. He also emphasizes that the inspection and monitoring actions will be carried out randomly, with follow-up by Adapar's agricultural defense inspectors, using data received and monitored by the technical managers of the cooperatives and agricultural supply stores.

The official planting and fallow dates are:

Region 01 (South, East, Campos Gerais and Coast) 

Planting – September 20th to January 20th

Sanitary Vacancies – June 21th to September 19th

Region 02 (North, Northwest, Central-West and West)

Planting – September 01th to January 31th

Sanitary Vacancies – June 02th to September 31th

Region 03 (Southwest) 

Planting – September 11th to January 10th

Sanitary Vacancies – June 12th to September 10th

The fallow period is one of the main tools in the fight against Asian soybean rust, a disease caused by the fungus Phakopsora pachyrhiziwhich can cause severe crop losses. During this period, the presence of live soybean plants in the field, including volunteer plants, is prohibited in order to reduce the pathogen in the environment and delay its occurrence in the following crop.

According to the head of the Plant Health Department at Adapar, Paulo Brandão, Asian soybean rust is common in the field and is part of phytosanitary management; therefore, the anticipation of planting must take into account all technical criteria. “The sanitary break for the crop should always be adopted by all farmers, for their benefit, and is implemented according to technical criteria,” he states. “The sanitary break cannot be less than 90 consecutive days and must respect the dates already established for the current crop,” he concludes.