The planting of safrinha corn, with lower risk, will last until March 10, in accordance with the agricultural climate risk zoning (ZARC) for most regions in Mato Grosso do Sul. When the end of the zoning approaches, there is the opportunity to work with other winter crops. “In addition to reducing the productive potential of off-season corn, climate risks increase. So it's time to diversify crops. It is not possible to say whether it will be more economically viable. Zoning works with probability. There is a certain year in which, even if planting takes place outside the zoning, productivity will be satisfactory. And there are years when, even if he plants within the zoning, it can be bad. But the chances of getting it right are greater”, ponders researcher Rodrigo Arroyo Garcia, from Embrapa Agropecuária Oeste (Dourados, MS).
The message the researcher wants to convey is that, if times are less favorable for safrinha corn, the risk of planting this crop increases. “There is an opportunity to work on crop diversification on part of the property. Of course, it depends on the region, but around 25% of the area could be allocated to other cultivation alternatives,” he explains.
The soil and climate conditions are very different in the State. From the capital (Campo Grande) towards the south of MS, the off-season has a greater volume of rain and lower temperatures, with a risk of frost. To carry out crop diversification, winter cereals are a good opportunity. It is no surprise that in the past, there was a lot of wheat planted in this region. Oats and wheat are the main crops that have the possibility of selling the grain and having an economic return.
From Campo Grande to the north of the state, more of a Cerrado environment, the off-season is a little drier and there are no frosts. For this reason, these winter cereals are no longer adapted to that region. “For this region, grain sorghum is a great option as it tolerates more drought than corn. In addition to having the lowest production cost, it is also possible to harvest grains”, explains Garcia. Other options, regardless of whether it is to the north or south, are the cultivation of cover crops, such as sunn hemp, millet and brachiaria, which, despite there being no grain harvest for commercialization and immediate economic return, bring numerous benefits to the system. of production, positively affecting crops, including soybeans, which comes next.
When evaluating alternatives for the winter harvest, the researcher says that planting must be seen for the production system as a whole. In the case of sunn hemp, its greatest production potential is in the summer, in October and November, but at this time soybeans are cultivated. In the off-season, sunn hemp will reduce its potential, but will add a series of benefits to the system, such as reducing nematodes and nitrogen input.
Another example is sorghum, which has greater potential in the summer, but also does very well in the off-season, especially in later plantings that are past the appropriate period for planting off-season corn. “The month of March has advanced, when the risk for off-season corn increases considerably, is the opportunity to work on these alternative species.”
The planting of winter cereals is actually in the off-season, which will be positioned at a better time for production potential, in mid-March.
According to the researcher, winter cereal or sorghum options can also generate income by harvesting the grain, and will benefit the production system, bringing other improvements through crop diversification. “Not to mention the indirect return. Oats, in addition to harvesting the grain, are an excellent alternative for controlling horseweed [a weed]. The brachiarias, the same thing. The best way to control horseweed is the ground cover provided by these plants. So less is spent on herbicides when desiccating soybeans,” he explains.
There is no ideal plant that meets all requirements and in all conditions. They add different positive points. Sunn hemp, for example, are excellent for controlling nematodes and increasing nitrogen in the soil. Brachiarias are efficient for straw production and improvements in the soil profile, providing greater water storage in the soil, favoring soybeans in succession.
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