Importance of disease control to avoid loss in soybeans

A team of recognized technicians at a conference on crop health, organized by Syngenta in Argentina, agreed that the productivity of soybeans can increase by 10% with appropriate control of crop diseases.

Soybeans have been planted in several areas of the country and despite the fact that withholdings to soybeans continue at 30% (except in 10 provinces involved in the Belgrano Plan that will be reduced to 25%), Argentinean farmers have been investing more in technology after the new rules of the game.

Phytopathologists from National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) Pergamino, who were invited to the meeting, said that currently, specialists are focused on treatments to control end-of-cycle diseases (EFCs) to increase crop yields. Soybeans affected by EFC can lose up to 20% of the yield if environmental conditions are favorable. Researchers agreed that the EFCs have increased their prevalence due to the monoculture of soybeans that occurred in recent years.

Within the EFC, the main leaf diseases include brown spot (MM) caused by Septoria glycines, frog eye spot (MOR) caused by Cercospora sojina and leaf blight (TZ) caused by Cercopora kikuchii. According to specialists, although these diseases have the characteristics that farmers are unable to identify, they remain latent in infecting the crops. Hence, when the environmental conditions turn favorable, or the plants send the energy to fill the grains, EFCs cause loss of leaf area and leaves.

This situation results in less feed for grains and consequently lower yield during harvest.

"Most farmers use products that combine triazoles plus strobirulins. But now, they are increasing the use of a combination of triazoles with carboxamides, because it has greater residual power," a recognized technician from INTA said.

Syngenta Crop Protection Manager for South Region of Latin America specified that foliar fungicides are used in 50% of the 18 million hectares planted with soybeans in Argentina.

"The return for the farmer adequately treating EFCs in soybeans is very broad, because it is important that the yield is lost by not applying treatments," the manager said.

And to graph it, he exemplified it in numbers. The average yield in soybeans in Argentina is 2,900 kg per hectare. With proper treatment against EFCs, the yield could be increased by 10%. In this context, the country loses 2.6 million tons of oilseeds, equivalent to US $ 660 million in total, taking an average value of $ 254 per ton.

In this context, Syngenta launched 'Miravis Duo,' a fungicide to control EFCs with a residuality of more than 40 days.

According to the Marketing Manager for South Region of Latin America of the company, Argentina was selected to launch the fungicide because it is one of the main producers of soybeans. Farmers also have a high level of adoption of technology and they seek new technologies and innovations.

This new product contains a combination of triazole (difenoconazole) and Adepidyn, the new molecule developed by Syngenta belonging to the chemical class of carboxamides.

Also, the company said they were working on the development of several products based on this new molecule for the treatment of diseases in soybeans, wheat, corn, vegetables and special crops.