Ourofino provides guidance on weed management in sugarcane

Estimated sugarcane production for the 2019/20 harvest is 622,3 million tons, an increase of 0,3% compared to the previous harvest, according to data from the National Supply Company, the CONAB. For the state of São Paulo, the harvest will be 2,7% in May compared to the previous one. For the state of Goiás, the numbers are even more expressive, both the area and productivity have grown. The expectation is that production will be 74.552 thousand tons, with productivity 3% higher than last season. However, to maintain good levels, attention must be paid to the management of weeds in sugarcane fields.

One of the main challenges is to define and adopt effective strategies for controlling these plants in the crop, which can reduce productivity by up to 80% and increase costs by 30% for ratoon cane and 15% to 20% for plant cane. as explained by Roberto Toledo, herbicide products manager at Ourofino Agrociência. The diversity of weed species in sugarcane is another point of attention and occurs due to the varied presence of the crop in different regions of Brazil, a factor that makes it difficult to define assertive management.

But it is a possible task. Among the practices, Roberto recommends the use of herbicides such as PonteiroBR (sulfentrazone), MegaBR Duo (amethrin + clomazone), Velpar K and Advance (diuron + hexazinone), FortalezaBR (tebuthiurom), Hexaplus (clomazone + hexazinone), GrandeBR (clomazone ),  among others that are versatile and allow interesting alternatives in associations for single or sequential applications. One of the high-performance solutions in weed management is Templo, recently launched by Ourofino Agrociência and which was developed to meet the country's tropical climate conditions.

“It is a premium glyphosate with an exclusive surfactant system and Duo Sal technology, which offers safety, savings and speed in pest control”, says the product manager. The Temple still has high performance even with rain two hours after application, so productivity does not depend on the weather.

“The high concentration of glyphosate, with two types of salts in liquid formulation, provides the herbicide with a broad spectrum of action, with control of various grasses, broad leaves and eradication of sugarcane ratoon,” explains Roberto.

The speed with which the product works is another differentiator found by Ourofino Agrociência. The manager highlights that, with Templo, “the company has results that demonstrate greater speed of control compared to other products in the category, which act more slowly to have a certain desiccation effect”. Another characteristic that favors management in the field is that the Temple acts with greater absorption, penetration, translocation, systemicity and effective final result.

In sugarcane fields, in addition to the challenge of weeds, which include broad-leaved plants, such as different species of viola strings, grasses such as those from the crabgrass, signal grass and crabgrass complex are common. Therefore, sugarcane mills and suppliers have an even broader concern and need to invest in assertive management practices to reduce or eliminate productivity problems. Roberto assesses that “the biggest challenge is when the infestation is mixed, including both viola string and grass species, hence the need to use appropriate herbicides targeted to the climate and weather conditions”. 

Still according to the professional, one of the biggest difficulties in managing areas with mixed infestations is adjusting the herbicide recommendations with the doses to maintain the selectivity of sugar cane. “The aim is to promote a broad spectrum and residual control and guarantee flexibility of application in sugarcane or ratoon crops at different times of the year.”