Zoning of safrinha corn in SP helps in choosing the planting time

On Friday afternoon (17), researchers from Embrapa, representatives of banking institutions, technicians and agricultural consultants validated the Agricultural Climate Risk Zoning (Zarc) for the second corn harvest in the State of São Paulo, called the off-season. The virtual meeting was coordinated by Embrapa, responsible for the zoning methodology. In practice, this tool indicates to producers the periods of lowest and highest climatic risk for the crop. Following the publication of an ordinance by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa), the banking system uses this research information to define parameters for rural insurance.

Zarc indicates climate risk scenarios by municipalities and is updated regularly, considering rainfall, soil texture and different crop cycles (early, medium, late). Analyst Balbino Antonio Evangelista, from Embrapa Pesca and Aquaculture (Palmas-TO), gave a technical presentation on the modeling of the system and explained that the scenarios are shown on a ten-day time scale, that is, sowing periods every ten days. The year therefore has 36 ten-days.

In general, the planting of safrinha corn in the State of São Paulo begins at the end of December and ends at the beginning of March, when the climate risk becomes high for planting in most regions of São Paulo. But zoning provides more sophisticated information, calibrated for each municipality.

Researchers José Ricardo Pezzopane, from Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste (São Carlos-SP), and Aryeverton Fortes, from Embrapa Informática Agropecuária (Campinas-SP), presented detailed data. In Avaré, for example, where medium-textured soil predominates, the planting window opens at the end of December, with a success rate of 80%. In Paranapanema, where clayey soil is more common, this 80% success rate is repeated from the last ten days of December to the second of January.

Throughout the month of January, Zarc indicates 80% success in planting safrinha corn for the municipality of São Carlos. In the first ten days of February, it drops to 60%. “In Araraquara, planting at this time is more risky because the water demand is greater,” said Pezzopane.

In Manduri, in areas with sandier soil, planting should have 80% success in the first and second ten years. In the third (after January 20th), it drops to 70% and throughout the month of February and the first ten days of March it remains in the 60% range. In other words, planting in this municipality is possible until March.

Meeting participants approved the methodology and results. The work will now be forwarded to Mapa so that a decree on the most suitable times for planting can be published, with the result made available to the production sector. Anyone who wants to learn more about the tool and make inquiries can access this link: http://indicadores.agricultura.gov.br/zarc/index.htm. Information can also be obtained through the ZARC-Plantio Certo application, for the Android system, available free of charge in the application store.