Workshop at the 14th Brazilian Cotton Congress will discuss weed management

The first workshop of the 14th edition of the Brazilian Cotton Congress (CBA) brings a topic of great relevance today: the management of weeds in the production system. Responsible for productivity losses that can reach 80%, weeds also cause secondary negative impacts, as they complicate management practices, serve as hosts for other pests and, in the specific case of cotton, directly impact the quality of the product. Held by the Brazilian Association of Cotton Producers (Abrapa), the congress will take place in the capital of Ceará, Fortaleza, from September 3rd to 5th, and should bring together the entire fiber production chain.

To talk about this topic, the workshop will bring together experts, such as Fernando Storniolo Adegas, researcher at Embrapa Soja, who works in the area of ​​Weed Management and Pesticides Application Technology; Anderson Cavenaghi, agronomist, master and doctor in plant protection from the Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) in Botucatu-SP; and Edson Andrade, IMAmt researcher, weed specialist and workshop coordinator. “The idea is for the speakers to have greater interaction with the participants, proposing some scenarios and generating debates”, he explains. 

Speaker Fernando Storniolo Adegas will open the meeting with the theme “Herbicide-resistant weeds in the cerrado”. The main challenges that cotton producers currently face will be addressed in the management of weeds, with emphasis on those that are resistant to herbicides, such as Crow's Foot and Caruru, and plants that are difficult to control, such as Vassorinha de Botão , among others.

Next, Anderson Cavenaghi will talk about the “Importance of using pre-emergents in the soy/cotton system”, with the aim of enhancing control efficiency in the field. “Increasingly, the use of pre-emergents has become mandatory, either for the crop to 'start clean', thus avoiding initial weed competition, or as an alternative for rotating the mechanism of action of the herbicides used, postponing the selection of plants. resistant weeds and improving the efficiency of all management during farming”, explains Edson Andrade.

The lecture “What to expect from new technologies in cotton cultivation”, given by the room coordinator, will close the meeting, highlighting not only the crop launches, but, above all, the transgenic technologies STP and B3XTend and what they will contribute to weed management. “These technologies, each with their own particularities, will be important tools to assist in the management of weeds, such as Chicken Grass, Amargoso Grass, Horseweed and Pigweed”, he highlights.