GAtec launches intelligent tool for sustainable pest management in Brazil

It is estimated that 15% of all food in the world is lost due to agricultural pests, which include insects, diseases and weeds. For example, in sugar cane, insect pests, such as the borer, leafhopper and the weevil, as well as other pests, cause losses of around R$10.9 billion per year.

To help producers reduce these considerable losses, GAtec, a Brazilian leader in the Agtech sector specializing in the development of tools for agro-industrial management, together with Entomol, a consultancy specializing in combating sugarcane pests, launched their new market technology, MAPFY Shield.

The intelligent platform works throughout the chain by planning, monitoring and control, optimizing the entire operation, and enabling quick sustainable pest management decision-making. The technology will be characterized by many features covering all stages of the integrated sugarcane pest management program, in addition to creating a database of information and carrying out of economic studies based on the updated loss rates of different varieties of sugar cane in the various regions of Brazil.

According to Fernando Bortolazzo (Founding Partner and CTO of GAtec), MAPFY Shield is a technology that is different from other similar solutions offered on the market. The tool is free from commercial bias with regards to chemical and biological products, and aims to achieve operational efficiency and cost reduction for producers. “The first advice we give to the producer is always prioritize costing and sustainable management. Whenever possible, we always firstly recommend the adoption of biological and physiological control systems. As for available chemical pesticides, we will suggest the best options without compromising with any brand in the market,” he said.

Among the product’s features is its advanced level of technology, with the use of Cloud, big data and artificial intelligence to predict areas most susceptible to pests, as well as to recommend the best methods of control at the right time. In addition, areas are categorized according to groupings of attributes and geographic distances that define homogeneous sample blocks, reducing the number of areas and points sampled. There is also an offline interactive mobile application with monitoring cards and guidance maps. “Our main goal for this new platform is to streamline the entire MIP process and ensure the rational use of inputs while preserving the environment and natural enemies through good sustainable management practices, in addition to encouraging the participation of customers in exclusive and validated benchmarking,” he added.

The MAPFY Shield project is being developed by a highly qualified multidisciplinary technology team and will handle all insects, weeds and diseases that affect crops. However, during its first launch phase, the first module will only be used against sugarcane pests. The new platform was developed based on the ideas and technical knowledge of consultants with over 46 years of experience in the sector. GAtec, therefore, has entomologist consultants, led by its director, Luiz Carlos de Almeida, agronomist, researcher and specialist in entomology.

According to de Almeida, who is responsible for the company’s software pest database and has been working in the field of entomology since 1974, the main benefit of the tool is that it ensures the sustainable management of pests. “Many people adopt the strategy of very aggressive control, which makes it difficult for natural enemies to act. Our goal is to reduce costs rationally while always maintaining sustainable management, reducing the damage caused by pests throughout the treatment duration, and enable quick decision-making,” he said.

For example, if we reduce the infestation rate of sugarcane borer by 1% in a unit of 35,000 hectares, it is possible to generate savings of almost R$3 million in agricultural costs alone. In the industrial area, the damage caused by drill is related to the reduction of industrial yields (RTC, RGD and recovered from the SJM factory), as well as to the increase in the consumption of inputs (lime, sulfuric acid, defoamers and antibiotics). These values can exceed R$10 million per harvest.

Implementation

MAPFY Shield is already being used on three major partner plants, where thorough research was carried out on its technology, processes and business features. Technicians are mapping and beginning development, and by the first half of this year, the first version will be available to customers. “Meanwhile, other customers who are interested can get in touch to participate in the first phase of the project. A very important point is that MAPFY Shield enables native integration with GAtec's current AGRO solution and SimpleFarm, in addition to simple integration with other market platforms,” Bortolazzo said in conclusion.

The original Portuguese version of this article is from GRUPO CULTIVAR.