Secondcropinborderregionsclose
tocultivatedareasputBrazilonhigh
alerttotheexposuretothefungus
andgreaterdamagepotential
A
lthough the main agricultural
states have introduced the cal-
endar template to make sure
the fallow period is implement-
ed (period without any soy-
bean field so as to prevent the pest from
overwintering), Phakopsora pachyrhizi in-
festations could occur because the dis-
ease does not respect any borders. Second
crops in Paraguay and Bolivia pose threats
that have induced Brazil to pursue a joint
sanitary protocol, capable of introducing
the fallow period in the neighboring coun-
tries. Erlei de Melo Reis, PhD in Phytopa-
thology and professor at the University of
Passo Fundo (UPF), deems it necessary to
resort to an important control tool.
Another novelty that could surface
over the next crop years, and is now go-
ing through the registering channels at the
Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food
Supply (Mapa), is the use of ready-to-apply
mixtures. Thus preventing the use of the
isolated multi-site and the selection pres-
sure caused by it.
Researcher Cláudia Vieira Godoy, from
Embrapa Soy and Anti-Rust Consortium,
believes that the production costs should
Danger at the
border
The adoption of the fallowperiodmakes the first crops safer
go up with the application of fungicides
in the next season, despite efforts to elim-
inate from the group products no lon-
ger viewed as efficient. It is because an in-
crease in the resistance of the rust fungus
to carboxamides will require smaller inter-
mission applications and a bigger volume
of multi-site fungicides.
“In this case, soybean farmers have
few tools to manage their fields and con-
trol the fungus. Therefore, the importance
of correct planning, whilst carrying out
all stages efficiently”, he advises. Anoth-
er concern is that the situation might get
worse, once not even private national and
international companies, nor public re-
search institutions are in a position to an-
ticipate when they will be able to launch a
product as efficient as the carboexamides,
at least for the next five years.
n
Robispierre Giuliani
74
