RS 2024/25 Harvest: soybean harvest reaches 50% of the planted area

The soybean harvest in Rio Grande do Sul has reached 50% of the planted area, according to the Emater/RS Conjuntural Bulletin released today (10/4). Despite the advance in relation to the previous week — which recorded 39% of the harvested area —, the scenario continues to be marked by strong variation in productivity, a result of the effects of the drought in different regions of the state.

While 39% of the crops are maturing, another 10% are in the grain filling phase and 1% are still flowering. The rains that occurred over the last week contributed to the development of later-cycle crops, but also delayed the harvest in areas where the soil was saturated, especially in the Western Half.

Productivity shows extreme disparities: from 180 kg/ha in areas of the Far West to 6.000 kg/ha in crops in the Northeast. The state average is estimated at 2.240 kg/ha, but may be revised downwards if the effects of the March water deficit continue to negatively impact crops that are still in the field.

In the most affected regions, plant maturation is irregular. The combination of water stress during the reproductive period and high humidity after the rains has resulted in grains with high moisture content, impurities and poor quality — which has been generating commercial discounts. To mitigate the impacts, producers have resorted to the use of chemical desiccants to standardize maturation and reduce quality losses. The processes of recording losses with financial institutions and issuing technical reports by experts are also ongoing.

Corn

The corn harvest is proceeding at a slower pace, with 85% of the area already harvested. The priority given to more sensitive crops, such as rice, soybeans and beans, explains part of this pace. Even so, around 9% of the corn crops are maturing, and another 6% remain in the field awaiting suitable conditions for harvest.

The resilience of corn in the field has allowed this strategy, as long as the ears are well protected by straw and the weather remains favorable. The average state productivity is estimated at 6.866 kg/ha, considered positive thanks to the good performance of early crops, which escaped the most severe period of drought.

Corn silage 

In the case of corn for silage, the harvest has also made little progress and remains at 85%. In addition to the rains, the staggering of sowing influences the pace of activity, by better distributing the use of machinery and avoiding conflicts with the grain harvest.

The remaining crops benefited from the recent moisture, with 5% beginning to mature, 6% in grain filling, 3% in flowering and 1% still in the vegetative phase. Average productivity was estimated at 36.760 kg/ha, a decrease of 6,8% compared to the initial projection, reflecting the negative effects of the drought.