CanaMS Seminar brings together technicians from plants in the states of MS, PR, SP and MG

Embrapa Agropecuária Oeste was one of the companies that presented research results, which dealt with the maintenance and removal of straw in the sugarcane field

18.04.2023 | 15:13 (UTC -3)
Silvia Zoche Borges

An in-person audience of almost 200 participants, coming from São Paulo, Paraná, Minas Gerais and Mato Grosso do Sul, and more than 500 participants in the live broadcast of the 1st CanaMS Seminar of 2023, the 8th edition of the event, held on the 14th of April, in the auditorium of Embrapa Agropecuária Oeste. The event was recorded and can be watched on the Embrapa YouTube Channel. Participants attended lectures on weather forecasts for the 2023/2024 harvest for sugarcane cultivation, straw collection, nitrogen management, transport and quality of raw materials, fertilizers and bio-inputs.

Furthermore, the virtual audience was able to follow interviews carried out during breaks on the Agro Ciência podcast, led by professor Fábio Mascarenhas, from UFGD, in partnership with Embrapa Agropecuária Oeste, with the participation of researcher Cesar José da Silva and the manager of TCH Gestão Agrícola José Trevelin Jr. The Seminar was organized by Embrapa Agropecuária Oeste and TCH Gestão Agrícola, with support from Biosul and Sulcanas. It was sponsored by the following companies: Biotrop, Euroforte, Hinove, Kracht, Koppert, Solubio, Sumitomo Chemical, Ubyfol and Union Agro.

“This has always been a technical event, with lecture themes suggested by the sugar-energy sector, which has sustainability as one of its focuses. In addition to the research results for sugarcane cultivation, we also see that this is a time to exchange knowledge between participants, to learn from each other, and also to be able to set guidelines for new work”, said the general head of Embrapa Agropecuária Oeste, Harley Nonato de Oliveira.

He emphasized that the seminar is an event that cares about social causes and “shows that the sector is different”. This is because supporters and sponsors included in the program a presentation of Hospital do Amor, in Barretos, SP, by Rubiquinho de Carvalho, a special guest from Euroforte. The hospital exists in other locations in Brazil and is under construction in Dourados, MS. “It has a character of fundamental sensitivity”, stated Oliveira, thanking us for the partnerships.

José Trevelin Jr., manager of TCH Gestão Agrícola, recalled that due to the demands of the sugar-energy sector in Mato Grosso do Sul, the CanaMS Seminar was created eight years ago, initiated by Embrapa Agropecuária Oeste, Biosul and TCH Gestão Agrícola. “Success stories from Mato Grosso do Sul, technologies from abroad, issues developed by Embrapa itself, this event has been a moment of giant interaction since 2016”, said Trevelin.

Weather forecast

The first lecture at the Seminar is usually about the weather forecast for the next sugarcane harvest. The agrometeorologist and agronomist at Rural Clima, Marcos Antônio dos Santos, answered the questions that didn't want to be silenced: “Will El Niño arrive or not? Is frost coming to Mato Grosso do Sul?” According to him, the answer to the first question is that “in the next 24 months, there is a possibility of El Niño formation [when the waters of the Pacific Ocean increase in temperature and bring rain]. It is not yet possible to know the intensity. It is believed that it will appear towards the end, but it is not certain”, began the response.

According to him, most people base their decision-making in the field solely on the presence or absence of the El Niño and La Niña phenomena, however, Santos emphasized that several climate factors must be analyzed. “And La Niña and El Niño are not something that happen instantly. We are still neutral.”

The agrometeorologist reported that, historically, the phenomena happen as follows: three consecutive years of La Niña are followed by a year of El Niño. In the current scenario, the Pacific Ocean is warming rapidly. Region 2 is hot and rains are more regular in Chile, with cold fronts entering the southernmost region of Brazil. “The amount of rain over the next 15 days of April for MS is high. For the sugarcane sector, it is complicating the start of the harvest. It favors development and planting, but hinders harvesting. ATR doesn’t want to go up,” said Santos.

According to the agrometeorologist, there will be a few rain showers per month, which could greatly disrupt the plant's day-to-day operations, such as grinding and stockpiling. “But knowing in advance, you can plan better”, he warns.

“What about the frost? Rural Clima only releases a frost warning seven days in advance. Before, it is prohibited. You can even say that it has a polar air mass, but there are several factors that can contribute to or mitigate the effects of frost. Polar air mass is the main fuel for frost, however, humidity, wind and cloudiness are also necessary, which can contribute to or mitigate the effects of frost. The big frosts occur with open skies”, stated Santos. Another factor he raised is the nutritional part of the plant.

Even so, he spoke of one of the most critical periods for frost in Brazil: from May 20th to June 10th. “I’m not saying it will freeze, but you need to have ‘lynx eyes’ during this period. A mass of polar air should advance a little further in Brazil. It’s something to keep an eye on to take some actions,” he warned.

Potassium fertilizer and straw

The researcher from Embrapa Agropecuária Oeste, Carlos Hissao Kurihara, presented results of a project carried out in partnership with Adecoagro, at Usina Angélica, in Angélica, MS. This work was carried out in partnership between researchers Kurihara, Luís Staut and Cesar José da Silva.

Potassium

Potassium is an element that is extracted in large quantities by sugarcane. The mineral regulates the opening and closing of stomata, transpiration (increases efficiency) and results in improved sucrose transport throughout the plant. It also provides resistance to frost, drought, diseases, lodging and contributes to the improvement of industrial sugarcane production.

Excess absorption can cause nutritional imbalance, leading to calcium and magnesium deficiency, delayed sucrose concentration and increased ash content in sugar.

Clown

Straw can contribute to maintaining soil moisture. With the straw layer, there is a reduction in the impact of rain on the soil, less water runoff into the soil and less loss of water and soil through erosion. Contributes to the reduction of weeds in the system. As it contains nutrients, due to the decomposition of plant residue, it can contribute to the recycling of nutrients (mainly K, Mg and Ca), especially in pointers.

Straw has a higher calorific value than bagasse. There is interest in cogeneration of energy from this material, as long as the price is lower than the cost. “The demand for energy cogeneration will also increase as the technology for producing ethanol from cellulose (second generation ethanol) becomes viable,” adds Kurihara.

Experiment

The researchers conducted an experiment in partnership with Adecoagro to evaluate the effect of potassium fertilizer in a restrictive environment, in conditions of absence or presence of straw collection. It was installed in a renovation area in the Ipezal district, in Angélica, MS. They carried out two types of straw management (with collection and without collection), five doses of potassium (0, 75, 150, 225 and 300 kg/ha of KO) and four blocks. The conclusion is that straw collection influenced the availability of potassium in the soil and tended to reduce plant height, stem diameter and sugarcane productivity; straw maintenance provided maximum stalk productivity with a lower dose of potassium; In a restrictive environment, with low fertility, the commonly adopted indication of potassium fertilization, applying a quantity of K2O equivalent to 1,3 times the expected productivity (1,3 x TCH), does not allow obtaining the full productive potential of sugarcane.

Other themes

Euroforte research results on the evolution of nitrogen in ratoon sugarcane were also presented, a lecture given by João Pedro Alves dos Santos and Flávio Pompei; from Usina Eldorados – Atvos, on the balance between operational performance and quality of raw material in cutting, transshipment and transport (CTT), by company speaker Renato Modesto de Oliveira; da Hinove, with William Trevisan, on special fertilizers for ratoon sugarcane; from Centro Universitário Moura Lacerda, the topic on innovative use of bio-inputs in sugarcane fields was explained by Professor Alexandre de Sene Pinto.

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