Soy and soil are themes of event in Londrina

Embrapa Agropecuária Oeste, through researchers Michely Tomazi and Rodrigo Arroyo, was present at the 34th Soy Research Meeting (RPS), held on June 28th and 29th, in Londrina (PR). The RPS is considered the main research forum for the soybean agricultural complex and is strictly technical in nature.

Researcher Rodrigo Arroyo highlights the importance of the event, which aims to discuss and evaluate the main advances and problems that occurred during the harvest, supporting the definition of research priorities and technology transfer.

Researcher Michely Tomazi participated in the event for the first time, and was very satisfied with the information on one of the strong points of this edition, which was the quality of the soils. She is one of the members of the Solo Vivo research network team, funded by Embrapa and Itaipú Binacional, responsible for developing the Rapid Soil Structure Diagnosis method (DRES), which provides an innovative way of visually evaluating the structure of tropical and subtropical soils in crop areas. DRES had its official launch during RSP, in Londrina.

Through this research project, with the participation of a professor at the State University of Londrina (UEL), Ricardo Ralisch and researchers from Embrapa, Embrapa Agropecuária Oeste can contribute to the development and validation of the methodology for conditions including sandy soils, common in the region where the Unit operates. “The joint construction of this new research methodology allowed greater coverage on the national scene, including the main grain producing regions in the country”, she highlights.

field tests - DRES has been very well accepted by producers and technicians in several regions. In 2016, approximately 80 agronomists from the Cocamar agricultural cooperative were trained in the DRES methodology to apply the method on properties in the north and northwest of Paraná, Vale do Paranapanema (SP) and Mato Grosso do Sul. According to Cocamar's technical manager, Leandro Teixeira, DRES was applied both to clayey soils (present in traditional soybean regions) and to properties with sandy soils, such as the Arenito Cauiá region, where soybean production in integration with pastures predominates. “The method is very simple to apply and has proven to be efficient in helping decision-making in the field. Until then, we lacked a tool like DRES that would guide us towards good soil management”, says Teixeira.

“For the second semester we are planning training aimed at the MS Foundation team, which is one of the partners in carrying out activities in producer areas in Mato Grosso do Sul, where monitoring is being carried out at the level of micro river basins”, said the researcher.

She highlights that other groups that may be interested in the methodology and that consider it relevant to provide training to their team of technicians and rural assistants can seek out Embrapa to facilitate this training. “The methodology is practical for application in the field and has wide application among producers”, concluded the scholar.

Learn more about DRES. Click here to access the Embrapa News Agency article and check out the video on the subject.

The scientific technical publication on the subject “Rapid diagnosis of soil structure – DRES” can be accessed here.