Cold front offers respite but locust monitoring continues

In an area of ​​phytosanitary emergency decreed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa), the government of the state of Rio Grande do Sul remains attentive to monitoring the cloud of locusts that moves through Argentina and with the arrival of rain and a front cold stopped approaching Brazil. The expectation is that as long as these environmental conditions last, the insects will change direction or remain where they are.

The displacement of locust cloud is influenced by wind direction and the occurrence of high temperatures. "The drop in temperatures and rain tend to mitigate the risk of the pest spreading", assesses the meteorologist from the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development (Seapdr), Flávio Varone.

The Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development, Covatti Filho, highlights the joint work between the spheres of power to deal with the threat. "We are working in conjunction with the ministry to make the State prepared if it needs to take action to control the pest. These are measures that allow us to speed up our plant defense and control actions", he highlights.

 A working group from the Department of Plant Health and Agricultural Inputs (DSV) of the Secretariat of Agricultural Defense (SDA) of Mapa remains in a situation of alert and mobilization, together with technical teams from the Federal Superintendencies of Agriculture and state Agricultural Defense bodies in the states of Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, as well as the Ministry's agricultural surveillance units located on the border with Rio Grande southern. 

Based on this scenario, strategies that can be adopted are being worked on for a possible outbreak of the plague in Brazil, if climate changes occur that are favorable to the movement of the locust cloud to our country. 

The movement of the locust cloud can be monitored using maps updated by Argentine authorities. If any producer in Rio Grande do Sul identifies the presence of these insects in large quantities, the advice is to inform the agricultural defense inspectorate in your locality. 

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