Embrapa has just launched the third version of the Brazilian Land Classification System for Irrigation (SiBCTI), now available for all Brazilian regions and capable of providing information on 16 agricultural crops and including two more of great national relevance: soybeans and rice. The methodology makes it possible to define the potential of an environment to develop crops under a given irrigation technology, classifying the suitability and potential of the land for this purpose.
According to Embrapa researcher Fernando Cezar do Amaral, coordinator of the SiBCTI project, the system may indicate that, in certain regions, according to the characteristics of the soil and the irrigation system, it may be more technically and economically viable a system than another. For rice cultivation, for example, he cites the economic unfeasibility of localized irrigation, especially in soils with low hydraulic conductivity in the surface horizon. The small spacing between the rice rows implies such a large number of dripper tubes that it greatly increases the cost of irrigation.
“Also for rice, we have seen an increase in demand for sprinkler irrigation using irrigation pivots, mainly on the western border of Rio Grande do Sul. Productivity is lower than in the flood system, more common on the eastern border, but the Profitability is greater, since crop management is easier, machinery costs less and soil movement is reduced”, he adds.
As for soybean cultivation, the great advantage of irrigation is the greater security of economic return, explains the researcher. “With the appropriate irrigation system, soybean producers can increase crop productivity and reduce risks to the harvest, as they will not depend on rain. It also facilitates cultural treatments, as it can fertilize or apply pesticides via irrigation. And with the use of early varieties, it is possible to anticipate the planting of corn and, consequently, soybeans, opening up the possibility of even a third crop, such as wheat or beans. Irrigation is a costly practice, but by reducing risk and increasing profitability, it is fully justified.”
According to the researchers who developed SiBCTI, with proper use of the system it is possible to prevent land that is not suitable for irrigation from being included in the production process, minimizing the environmental impact and loss of financial resources. Likewise, based on an assessment in tune with the characteristics of the environment, SiBCTI allows areas previously considered “non-irrigable” to be classified as “suitable for irrigation”.
The system also enables the rational use of water in irrigation processes, in addition to preventing salinization of managed soils, a serious environmental and economic problem, especially in the semi-arid region.
The tool, made available to society through software, can serve as a basis for irrigation projects and collaborate with the execution of public policies, especially for the implementation of the National Irrigation Policy (Law No. 12787/13), led by the Ministry of Regional Integration and Development (MIDR) and whose main guideline is to induce efficiency in the use of water resources for the agricultural sector.
The first version of SiBCTI was specific to the Semiarid region and was launched in 2005, as a result of cooperation between Embrapa and the Companhia de Desenvolvimento dos Vales do São Francisco e do Parnaíba (Codevasf) and with the support of several institutions and professionals in the areas of pedology and irrigation. The second version, delivered to society in 2012 and still focused only on the Semiarid region, brought updates and expansions to the database and new functionalities related to the potential and limitations of the elements soil, water and plant culture, with advances in the information technology structure, which allowed access to information in a web environment.
Starting in 2016, with the support and financing from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, a working group led by Embrapa Solos (RJ) began formulating the national version of SiBCTI, to cover all Brazilian regions and increase the number of crops, adding coffee, rice and soybeans to the list that already included acerola, banana, sugar cane, elephant grass, onion, coconut, beans, guava, mango, watermelon, melon, corn and grapes. The third full version was made available in April this year.
Validation for the introduction of coffee, rice and soybean crops into SiBCTI was carried out through field campaigns led by researchers from Embrapa Solos (RJ). Observation and study of the reality of management allowed the fine adjustment of the various variables of soil, water, irrigation systems and specificities of each vegetable crop that make up the system's database.
“When we were approached by technicians from the Ministry of Agriculture to deepen and expand the system, we suggested three crops: coffee, soy and rice, which are among the most cultivated outside the Semiarid region. In Rio Grande do Sul alone, rice has more than one million hectares irrigated, and a large scope also in Santa Catarina. Soybeans, despite not having such a large irrigated area, are the main Brazilian crop. And irrigated coffee is growing a lot in the country. During our campaign for Cerrado Mineiro, we observed that coffee farms where the technological package with irrigation and mechanized harvesting was used were very profitable, while traditional ones were recording losses”, explains Fernando Amaral.
SiBCTI is an expert decision-making system whose main element is information. Its objective is to store and process the data provided by the user of the system's software to automatically classify the land for irrigation purposes. All it takes is a few clicks to choose fields and enter input data. Once there are no outstanding issues or abnormal values, the program crosses all the data related to the different information plans (soil x vegetable culture x water quality and cost x irrigation system) and presents the final classification indicated for that situation presented by the user.
The information requested is 18 parameters related to the soil, such as depth, amount of calcium and magnesium, soil pH measured in water, available water capacity, electrical conductivity, clay mineralogy, position in the landscape, topography, hydraulic conductivity, infiltration speed basic, stoniness and rockiness; in addition to parameters related to the quality and cost of water collection for irrigation, sodium adsorption ratio or ratio, distance from water collection and presence of boron, iron and chloride.
“One of the information plans also includes variables related to the characteristics of the plants of each of the 16 varieties enabled in the system. The classification is made by analyzing the limitations of the environment, specifically each vegetable crop and each irrigation system. The methodology also has a generalized classification, which applies well to pre-feasibility studies and soil surveys, whether smaller scale or more generalized”, adds Amaral.
To facilitate the operation of the system, a manual of methods of the parameters required by the system and a Valid identity document which details the values and ranges of all parameters requested by the software by agricultural crop and irrigation method.
SiBCTI can be accessed by this link.
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