Water scarcity affects study on soils in Northern Paraná

Below-average rainfall in recent years has affected agribusiness as a whole. Even research that depends on precipitation to collect data goes through a period of lack of information. This is the situation faced by researchers from the Rede de AgroPesquisa e Formação Aplicada Paraná (Rede AgroParaná), who study erosion in six mesoregions of the State. In Cambé, in the North region, for example, despite more than 200 rain events in the last four years, in practically all of them there was either no runoff or a weak runoff.

“Since we implemented it, we have been monitoring and the project has been proceeding normally, but we have had few significant events in recent years. We were unable to obtain more robust results on soil and water losses. Now in the summer we hope that we will have more significant rains considering the local climate”, projects the coordinator of the Rede AgroParaná project in the North mesoregion, Graziela Cesare Barbosa.

With the data collected so far, according to the researcher, it has already been possible to observe local hydrological functioning and gaps in soil and water management, which can be topics of discussion between research and extension. “Initial results indicate greater loss of soil and water in areas without the presence of mechanical conservation practices [terraces], even in direct planting”, she emphasizes. “Another important issue is the efficiency of the riparian forest in disconnecting the agricultural slope, reducing the sediment load in the water body [river]”, he adds.

Graziela remembers that there are a number of researchers involved to collect the data that, after the field phase, go to the laboratory, where the investigation of the samples actually takes place. “It is in the laboratory that we actually analyze the water and sediment runoff. We also researched the loss of nutrients, mainly phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium. This fertilizer is also lost if the erosion process occurs and represents losses for producers. After ready analyzes and Water scarcity affects study in the North region Cambé Group began collecting data regarding erosion in the 2018/19 harvest. Preliminary results indicate benefits in the use of processed terraces, here comes the work to interpret the results”, he details.

The studies carried out in different regions of Paraná are part of the AgroResearch Network, which began to be implemented in 2015 by several entities, including the FAEP/SENAR-PR System. “Based on the results, it will be possible to recommend the best agricultural practices for soil conservation to control surface runoff and its associated processes and improve knowledge so that rural producers in Paraná can conserve soil and water, taking Paraná to the status of State with the most sustainable agriculture in Brazil”, says Graziela.