Copercampos and Embrapa develop a project to improve soil management in Santa Catarina

A partnership between Embrapa Trigo and Copercampos will generate strategies to improve soil management in rural production in the mountain plateau region of Santa Catarina. The diagnostic phase began at the end of March, with actions planned until 2026. 

A group made up of technicians from Embrapa Trigo and Copercampos is touring rural properties in five municipalities in the mountain plateau region of Santa Catarina. The objective is to collect soil samples to carry out a physical and chemical diagnosis of the areas: “The collections allow us to evaluate factors related to the physical and chemical degradation processes of the soil, such as water erosion, compaction, fertility levels and organic matter in the profile. from soil. After joint analysis of the information collected in the field and the analytical results obtained in the laboratory, the indicators that best describe the quality of the soil will be selected”, says researcher André Amaral. He highlights that “based on the diagnosis, the information will serve to propose strategies for improving the soil and the production model, aiming to increase productivity, in addition to mitigating and preventing physical and chemical degradation of the soil”. 

The project entitled “Technological innovations to mitigate and prevent the physical-chemical degradation of soils subjected to Direct Planting in the cultivation of annual species in the physiographic region of the Serrano Plateau of the State of Santa Catarina” intends to promote the conversion of Direct Planting into a Direct Planting System. Direct Planting, introduced in the South Region more than 50 years ago, is an alternative technique for reduced soil preparation, especially in grain cultivation, where it was believed that the use of wheat or oats in the winter and soybeans in the summer would be sufficient to maintain the physical and chemical properties of the soil. However, over the years, monoculture of soybeans following winter crops or fallow, associated with the intensive use of soil improvers and fertilizers on the surface, led to soil degradation. As an alternative, the research generated knowledge that improves the technique composing the Direct Planting System, which is conceptualized as the combination of conservation practices aimed at the management of productive agricultural systems, involving the eradication of the burning of crop residues; soil mobilization restricted to the sowing line; maintenance of crop residues; species diversification; harvest-sow process, keeping the soil permanently covered, among others, adapted to regional realities. 

The 12 plots will be monitored until October 2026. After the diagnosis phase, the results will serve as support for the training of multiplier agents, such as technical assistance from the cooperative or leaders from the productive sector, with the goal of triggering the redesign of models of production associated with the implementation of mechanical and chemical practices, which provide soil improvement and generate an average increase in productivity. 

According to Copercampos' Technical Assistance Manager, agronomist Fabrício Jardim Hennigen, collecting soil samples is the first step in executing the project. “We will be developing this initial project on 12 properties owned by Copercampos members, in order to evaluate the physical and chemical characteristics of the soil, in a methodology developed by Embrapa to encourage sustainable agriculture by rescuing the adoption of the direct planting system in straw, generating revenue in productivity and also enabling members to enter the carbon credit market”, highlights Fabrício.