Investing in winter crops benefits the productivity of summer crops

In the southern region of Brazil, rural producers have already started planting winter crops, such as wheat, barley, white oats, canola and triticale. These crops reinforce the farmer's income and promote significant improvements in the production system, as they allow the soil to be covered and protected during this period of intense rain. Consequently, well-done winter farming benefits subsequent summer farming and contributes to building or maintaining fertile soil.

But, in order for them to play this fundamental role in agriculture, winter crops need to be planned and prepared carefully. And choosing good nutrition is an important step. Some solutions available on the market are capable of delivering greater grain productivity and, at the same time, also lead to greater root and straw production. When the farmer opts for nitrate-based fertilizers, for example, which do not lose nitrogen through ammonia volatilization like urea, in addition to directly reducing gas emissions, he is achieving better business results and storing more carbon in the soil for his system productive.

And that's where these nutritional solutions accentuate the advantages of direct planting. They increase the production of straw for soil coverage, which contributes to greater infiltration and less water loss from the soil in the summer. Furthermore, more straw and more roots (and greater activity of the root system) promote chemical (nutrient cycling), physical (greater soil aggregation and greater resistance to compaction promoted by machines) and biological (favoring the activity of micro and macrobiota) improvements. from soil). Winter cultivation, in essence, also diversifies and enriches crop rotation. These practices, combined with minimal soil disturbance, improve all soil properties, improving its quality, sustainability, optimizing the use of inputs and enhancing crop results.

In line with this trend, the "Optimization of Winter Crops" movement, led by the president of the Advisory Council of the Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA), former Minister of Agriculture, Francisco Turra, has encouraged the actions of producers and organizations to expand the planting of winter grains - wheat, barley and triticale - in the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. Based on data from Farsul (Agricultural Federation of the State of Rio Grande do Sul), the area to be planted with wheat and other winter crops in 2021 could grow from 900 thousand hectares to 1,4 million hectares in RS, leveraging the productive potential of the region, which produces only one grain harvest per year on average, while other states produce up to three.

This is a direct and real impact on the producer's business - by producing another crop during the year, and also by further improving the results of their summer harvest, reducing costs and establishing a more productive, safe and sustainable system - , in addition to bringing indirect benefits to the region's economy, and to the sustainability of the entire agroindustry chain.

*Diego Guterres is agronomic coordinator at Yara Brasil.