Partnership develops new solutions against nematodes

By Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages

The recently opened Brazilian laboratory Nemavasf has partnered with Agrivalle to develop new solutions for the control of nematodes.

The agreement will facilitate access to analyzes to learn about the real problems caused by the pest in the field, the companies announced.

The laboratory is based in the city of Petrolina, in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco – an important center for agricultural production in Brazil. Nemavasf, however, already plans to expand its operations to other locations in the Northeast region of Brazil.

Despite the region being one of the largest fruit-growing producers in Brazil, in addition to being major exporters of grapes and mangoes, producers face serious problems with high population of phytonematodes in the field, which directly impacts productivity.

“In the São Francisco Valley, we already have reports from producers and consultants about losses in productivity in grape-growing due to the occurrence of nematodes associated with other soil pathogens. This association with root pathogens has increased damage and loss in different cultures susceptible to nematodes,” explained Patrícia Gomes de Oliveira, Nematologist and Technical Responsible for Nemavasf.

Nematodes damage the root system of plants and can reduce their capacity to absorb nutrients and water, impairing their development or leading to plant collapse and death. One of the big problems with pest control is that it is invisible under the ground.

“One of the pillars that drive our daily lives is the concept of soil regeneration, where we always seek to increase the beneficial biota in the soil so that the system can come into balance. The applicability of the use of bio-inputs, in the concept of life-generating more life, is an urgent demand for producers,” stated Thales Facanali, Market Development Manager at Agrivalle.

“Lectures, courses, and team training will also be given to bring knowledge to the producer. In this way, we will make their cultures, but also their people, more prepared to develop and increase local productivity, bringing the concept of sustainability to the region,” Thales added.

Patrícia also explained that in the region there is still no care to carry out an analysis on the problems caused by nematodes and that in the various areas she visited, the producer did not see alternatives to start the management, taking into account that the management of nematodes must be integrated management and needs a professional with knowledge in nematology.

“They approach us frequently and say that it is not pleasant to see problems in the field and because of losses in production, they do not know which way to go. These problems are often confused with nutritional deficiency, which ends up discarding the diagnosis of one of the most serious problems in world agricultural crops, which is the attack of phytonematodes. Now, with our services, we can help the production chain in the São Francisco Valley, bringing technology and alternatives to producers,” the Technical Responsible for Nemavasf, said in conclusion.