Soybean sanitary break ends Wednesday (24/9) in Goiás

The Goiás Agricultural Defense Agency (Agrodefesa) reports that the soybean health break ends this Wednesday (September 24) in Goiás. The official sowing calendar is established by the Agency's Normative Instruction No. 6/2024. The document determines that, starting September 25, 2025, the presence of emerged seedlings in the field is permitted. The final sowing date is January 2, 2026.

The sanitary break began on June 27th and lasted 90 days, during which no live soybean plants were allowed in the fields. The measure, implemented in Goiás since 2006, is one of the most effective strategies for reducing the early incidence of Asian soybean rust, one of the main crop diseases in Brazil.

Agrodefesa president José Ricardo Caixeta Ramos emphasizes the importance of strict compliance with regulations. "The sanitary gap is a technical measure that ensures the sustainability of soybean farming in Goiás. Thanks to the producers' commitment and Agrodefesa's inspection efforts, we've been able to reduce the incidence of Asian rust and ensure greater quality and productivity for future harvests," he says.

According to Leonardo Macedo, Agrodefesa's Plant Health Manager, the measure is crucial for the state's phytosanitary defense. "Complying with the sanitary gap reduces the presence of the fungus that causes Asian rust between harvests. This gives producers a greater window of safety for planting crops and reduces the need for fungicide applications early in the season," he explains.

Crop registration

The state's soybean calendar also requires producers to register their crops with the Goiás Agricultural Defense System (Sidago). Registration must be completed within 15 days of the end of the sowing calendar, or by January 17, 2026.

The registry includes information on the planted area; planting system, whether irrigated or dryland; the cultivar used; planting date and harvest forecast; as well as the geographic coordinates of the crop.

Regarding seeds, you must provide the supplier's CNPJ (Brazilian Taxpayer Registry) or whether the seed was produced by the farmer himself. Agrodefesa is responsible for overseeing seed sales to ensure successful germination and agricultural production.

Mário Sérgio de Oliveira, coordinator of Agrodefesa's Soybean Program, points out that the calendar is the result of a technical consensus among research institutions, the production sector, and official agricultural defense agencies. "It's essential that producers follow the established dates and register with Sidago. This allows us to map crop areas in Goiás and adopt more effective strategies for monitoring and combating pests and diseases," he concludes.