Wheat harvest reaches 29% in Rio Grande do Sul

The wheat harvest has been accelerating, especially in the Center-Northwest of the state, reaching 29% of the estimated planting area and having been interrupted only on October 15th due to the occurrence of rain. According to the Informativo Conjuntural, released by Emater-RS, the remaining crops are mainly in the maturation (10%) and grain filling (48%) stages.

In some areas of flat terrain, excess soil moisture still imposed restrictions on progress in the following days. The cultivated area, according to data from Emater/RS, is 1.312.488 hectares, and the expected productivity remains at 3.100 kg/ha.

The quality of the harvested product is lower than that obtained before the rainy season, as is the hectoliter weight (HP) of the grains, which is just below 78 kg/hl. In addition to assessing the HP, some storage units and buyers are using the falling number (FN) criterion or falling time to select the wheat to be received, which is an indicator of the capacity to retain starch in the grains and their resistance to early germination. The minimum criterion adopted is 220 seconds, which has made it difficult to sell batches with lower quality grains, which have a lower baking capacity.

The reduction in grain quality is associated with the high incidence of diseases such as blast and head blight, intensified by the recurrence of rain in the previous weeks, in crops in the maturation phase. These conditions also favored premature germination of grains on the cob, further compromising the final quality of the product. Given this scenario, some producers with more affected crops have activated Proagro due to the inviability of generating revenues to cover the financed production costs. In the other regions of the state, the production potential was not as affected, and it is expected that the yield and quality of the product will not be as impacted.

Soybean

The sunnier period with mild temperatures provided good conditions for the advancement of soybean planting in the state. However, the planted area expanded slightly, to 3% of the estimated area, due to the execution of priority parallel activities, such as the harvest of winter cereals or the sowing of rice. In the southern half of RS, many producers are still seeking resources to purchase inputs, and there are numerous cases of access to only 50% of the usual value, generating uncertainty and the risk of establishing crops with a low level of technology. The cultivation area projected by Emater/RS is estimated at 6.811.344 hectares, and the average productivity at 3.179 kg/ha.

Corn

Last week, corn planting reached 68% of the area projected for the harvest. Most of the state's crops are in the vegetative development phase (96%), and the areas sown earlier are in flowering (4%). In order for early planting to be completed, there are still sowings left in the Campanha and Aparados da Serra regions.

Frequent and well-distributed rainfall kept soil moisture at adequate levels, in addition to the high incidence of solar radiation during the day and mild temperatures at night, which favored good plant growth and high production potential. For the 2024/2025 Harvest, Emater/RS estimates the cultivation of 748.511 hectares, and the average productivity of 7.810 kg/ha.

Vegetable crops

In the Ijuí region, climate conditions continue to favor the development of vegetable crops. Leafhopper and whitefly attacks on cucurbits have increased, requiring greater monitoring and control. Beetroot plants have shown a reduction in the incidence of cercospora leaf spot and improved visual appearance and size of tuberous roots. In the municipality of Ijuí, there is still a large supply of cabbage and lettuce, but the sale price has not been greatly impacted. Due to the reduction in humidity, damage caused by rot in cabbage has decreased. The cucumber crop is in full bloom in the fields planted early. The other cucurbits are in the herbaceous stem development phase.

Fruit crops

In the Santa Rosa region, the period was beneficial for fruit trees due to the rain, soil moisture, sun and heat, which contributed to the process of sprouting and vegetative growth. However, it also favored the attack of aphids on citrus trees and diseases on grapevines. On budding fruit trees, farmers sprayed Bordeaux mixture to control anthracnose and mildew, as well as insecticides to control aphids and scale insects. Strawberries are in full harvest. The harvest of early peach varieties has begun, which have a high incidence of fruit flies and fruit rot, requiring control with fungicides.