The sanitary void is an important strategy used to control Asian rust, therefore, from June 15th to September 15th, the crops in Mato Grosso do Sul are in a period of sanitary void. Therefore, during these three months, soybean plants cannot be sown or maintained in the field.
Asian rust is a disease caused by the fungus Phakopsora pachyrhizi. And it is still one of the diseases that most concern soybean farmers. It is responsible for early defoliation, which prevents the complete formation of grains and reduces productivity rates.
The sanitary void is an important management strategy, as it aims to reduce the survival of the fungus that causes Asian rust and delay the occurrence of the disease throughout the next soybean harvest. Alexandre Roese, agronomist at Embrapa Agropecuária Oeste, explains that “when all soybean plants are eliminated in the off-season, the host of the fungus is also removed from the environment, reducing the amount of spores in the field, that is, it becomes much more difficult to survival of the disease in the field”, explains Roese.
He highlights the importance of the sanitary void, which provides both savings and contributes to sustainability, as it reduces the amount of pesticides needed to control Asian rust. Another positive consequence of reducing the use of these products is the delay in the development of fungus resistance to fungicides. “The loss of sensitivity to specific fungicides is a natural process. Therefore, the fewer fungicide applications are carried out, the slower this process will be”, highlights the expert.
Another relevant information refers to the difference between the sanitary void and the Agricultural Climate Risk Zoning (ZARC), which are different management tools, but established in the form of schedules. ZARC is a technical-scientific instrument for agricultural policy and risk management in agriculture. “Some people still confuse the two things. And there is pressure for the dates to be the same, but as the functions are completely different, it is not possible to unify the dates”, explains researcher Danilton Flumignan, from Embrapa Agropecuária Oeste.
More information about ZARC can be obtained on the Zarc Plantio Certo APP. An application for the Android operating system, available free of charge on Google Play, which assists producers and agents in the agribusiness chain, by providing official information from the Agricultural Climate Risk Zoning (ZARC), in an easy-to-understand interface.
“Soybean planting is the most important stage of the harvest, because if everything is done well, at this stage, the chance of success is very high”, emphasizes researcher Rodrigo Arroyo Garcia, and adds that “on the other hand, making some mistakes At this stage, it negatively impacts the productive potential of the crop and the producer starts to lose. It’s a very technical phase that involves several factors.” The researcher highlights the importance of good implementation, ensuring that the seeds can germinate well and form a good stand with an adequate population of plants, and gives some tips on what should be observed for this. “There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration to make the right choices, such as soil humidity, temperature, choice of cultivars, sowing time, a good straw that will protect the seeds, chemical treatment of the seeds that They protect it from some fungi and pests at the beginning of the crop, a good inoculation, which will guarantee a good supply of nitrogen for the crop”, he explains. Garcia also adds the relevance of the mechanical work of machinery and equipment, which must be well regulated, with adequate planting speed, with the capacity to deposit the seed correctly in the soil and concludes “there are several factors that influence the initial development of soybean plants in crops and if all this is done well, the chance of success increases considerably”.
Another important point refers to the amount of water present and available in the soil. “Decision-making in relation to the topics mentioned above involves gathering quality information. Agrometeorological information serves as an important source of data that can make all the difference at this stage”, highlights Carlos Ricardo Fietz, another researcher at Embrapa Agropecuária Oeste, . In this sense, the data made available by Embrapa Agropecuária Oeste, through the Climate Guide, which can be accessed both by computer and through an APP for cell phones, becomes a reliable input to assist the producer in decision-making and monitoring the balance crop water, a tool that makes it possible to know soil moisture levels in real time. “Over the first 15 days of September, it only rained 1.3 mm in the Dourados region. Since the historical average of rainfall in September is 100.7 mm, that is, we are still well below average. The data also reveals that it has not rained in Dourados since August 21st. Until yesterday, we had already had 25 days without rain in the municipality. The water deficit yesterday, layer 0 to 1 m, was 60 mm. In other words, we would need rainfall of approximately 70 mm to increase soil moisture for ideal planting conditions”, adds Fietz.
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