They were published in the Official Gazette of the Union this Wednesday (23/06) the ordinances with the Agricultural Climate Risk Zoning (Zarc), crop year 2021/2022, for castor bean cultivation. The study was updated in 2020 now including the update of crop parameters and representative cycles, inclusion of a group of short-cycle cultivars, extension of castor bean zoning to all Brazilian states, adjustment to critical criteria and limits, in addition to the insertion of the auxiliary escape criterion for gray mold in rainy regions or seasons and in the Zarc Mamona Semiarid subdivision.
The castor bean plant (Ricinus communis L.) is drought tolerant and is, therefore, a good alternative crop for dry regions of the country. Cultivation is not recommended for regions with very long periods of rain, which encourage the emergence of diseases such as gray mold, in addition to damaging the harvest and the quality of the product.
The crop is commercially exploited due to the oil content in its seeds, with applications in the areas of cosmetics, pharmaceutical products, lubricants and polymers. Traditionally cultivated by small producers in the Brazilian Northeast, it expanded in the Northeast and to other regions of Brazil due to incentives from the National Biodiesel Program.
Zoning aims to reduce risks related to climate problems and allows producers to identify the best time to plant, taking into account the region of the country, the culture and different types of soil.
The agrometeorological model considers elements that directly influence the development of agricultural production such as temperature, rainfall, relative air humidity, occurrence of frost, water available in the soil, water demand of crops and geographic elements (altitude, latitude and longitude).
Farmers who follow Zarc's recommendations are less subject to climate risks and can still benefit from the Agricultural Activity Guarantee Program (Proagro) and the Rural Insurance Premium Subsidy Program (PSR). Many financial agents only release rural credit for crops in zoned areas.
Rural producers and other agribusiness agents can access Zarc's official information via tablets and smartphones in a more practical way, facilitating guidance on the federal government's agricultural policy programs. The Zarc Plantio Certo mobile application, developed by Embrapa Informática Agropecuária (Campinas/SP), is available in app stores iOS e Android.
Zarc results can also be consulted and downloaded through the platform “Risk Indication Panel”.
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