Cotton producers receive information to protect biotechnology in the field

With each harvest, cotton farmers are increasing the planting of transgenic seeds in order to protect crops from the invasion of caterpillars and weeds. For these products to maintain their efficiency, the program Good Agronomic Practices, an initiative of the Biotechnology Information Council (CIB), began a partnership with the Brazilian Association of Cotton Producers (ABRAPA) to provide cotton producers with information on the correct management of biotechnology.

This Thursday (30/06) the Good Agricultural Practices team will be in the city of Goiatuba, in Goiás, to participate in Cotton Day, an event promoted by the Goiana Association of Cotton Producers (AGOPA). In addition to technical lectures, producers from Goiás will participate in the Boas Game, a game that simulates decision-making from the moment they acquire the seed until the crop monitoring phase. “It’s a game that addresses something very serious in a light and relaxed way. It addresses the importance of correct management and its main theme is the adoption of refuge areas, essential to prolong the effectiveness of pest-resistant Bt technology,” said the executive director of the CIB and coordinator of the Good Agronomic Practices program, Adriana Brondani.

According to the president of ABRAPA, João Carlos Jacobsen, transgenics have proven to be an ally for cotton farmers who now have the option of a plant with greater capacity to tolerate periods of drought to which it is subjected in the country's main producing region: the Cerrado . For him, maintaining these technologies is one of the Association’s objectives. “Both ABRAPA and its affiliates have worked intensively with producers in maintaining phytosanitary control programs, observing the maintenance of refuge areas that are recommended by holders of these technologies,” he stated.

The evolution of pest resistance is the biggest challenge for the use of crops that express Bt proteins. Without the implementation of an effective Insect Resistance Management (MRI) program, a set of measures that aim to prevent or delay the selection of resistant individuals, Bt technologies may have their effectiveness compromised. Refuge planting is the main tool of MRI programs and has been effective in delaying the emergence of pest resistance in countries with the longest history of using these technologies.