Impacts of prolonged rains on vegetable crops can be mitigated

Losses caused by prolonged rainfall in vegetable plantations, especially tomatoes, carrots, potatoes and onions, can be managed with appropriate measures. The agronomist and technical support engineer at the company Satis in the HF area, Décio Shigihara, explains that excess rainfall causes stress on plants, making them more susceptible to being affected by diseases (fungi, bacteria and various nematodes) and pests. Furthermore, although applications are more constant, efficiency is impaired due to rain. “Each type of plant or variety has the amount of water it can handle, and too much or too little can harm crops,” he adds.

According to Shigihara, the adverse effects occur both in quality, with changes in size, color and flavor, and in quantity, with a drop in productivity, reduced harvests and higher production costs. He advises that producers, in addition to improving the monitoring of pests and diseases, must use products that have better performance and also equip themselves with application technology in adverse conditions.

For these situations, he exemplifies that Satis offers Vitaphix power and oil that enhance spraying, Humicbor with characteristics of supplying boron enriched with polyols and humic substances, which reduce losses, where other sources can be leached (action of rain). Complementary products are also recommended for disease management, such as Fulland, and solutions aimed at more efficient nutritional management of phosphorus, such as Sturdy. For the physiological management of plant stress, Vitakelp can be adopted, as well as the use of biological products that are favored due to the humidity conditions of this season.

With these guidelines, the agronomist claims that the results have been positive, with gains of 20% to 30% in the quality and productivity of the plants. During the rainy season, the tip is to pay attention to the leaching of nutrients, replacing nutrition levels that meet the plants' demand. “And always work preventively in nutritional management, as well as pests and diseases”, he warns.