Brazil: Soybean Sectorial Chamber discusses use of Dicamba

The possibility of using the hormonal herbicide Dicamba in the current crop, which will feature for the first time a variety of soybean tolerant to the agrochemical, led to an extraordinary meeting of the Sectorial Chamber of Soy on Wednesday, October 27. 

The meeting was called by the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development (SEAPDR), at the request of the Soy Producers Association (Aprosoja/RS).

“The Secretariat is attentive to the demands of the productive sector and, since 2019, it has published several Normative Instructions regulating the use of pesticides in the State. This meeting in the Chamber gives voice, time and opportunity for all representatives of the sector to express themselves in a technical discussion on the use of Dicamba and the supply of inputs and fertilizers in Rio Grande do Sul,” said Assistant Secretary Luiz Fernando Rodriguez at the start of the meeting.

Vice President of Aprosoja/RS, Luís Fernando Fucks, expressed the entity's concern about using Dicamba in this harvest in the State. “In a technical visit to the United States in 2018, Dicamba was observed to have a very high degree of volatility, causing injury to soybeans and extending in multiple directions due to drift. Aprosoja fears that we do not have insurance coverage for this issue,” he explained.

Bayer’s Technical Manager of Soy for Latin America, Matheus Palhano, clarified that since 2018, the product's formulation has changed to avoid volatility of up to 85%. “Glyphosate continues to be the main product for managing the soy crop. Dicamba works in pre-planting for areas that need this product, for controlling horseweed, viola rope and weevil. It is a one-off use, in specific situations,” he highlighted.

Farsul’s Vice President Elmar Konrad believes it is necessary to observe and be cautious about using Dicamba in the State. “But I don't believe that the number of soybean crops that use it will be representative for this harvest,” he evaluated. This perception was confirmed in a survey presented by head of the Agricultural Input and Services Division of SEAPDR, Rafael Lima. From January to September 2021, 30,948 liters of Dicamba were sold in Rio Grande do Sul, to 469 different users. Most purchases were for less than 100 liters of the product. “In our view, the producer is still testing his effectiveness in managing the crop,” Rafael pointed out.

With the data collected, the division monitored the application of Dicamba with producers. “The product insert indicates the category of extremely thick or ultra-thick drops for its application, which requires specific tips. In our monitoring, we identified that producers are not being guided on the proper tip for applying the product,” he warned. Another issue identified by the survey was the technical manager's lack of knowledge about the product: agronomic recipes indicated the use of Dicamba to combat weeds that have other active ingredients available on the market.

On this matter, the Sectorial Chamber determined the following steps: request that Bayer conduct further studies on the use of Dicamba in Brazil, with Embrapa or other research entities; update of package inserts with information on approved application tips; need to expand the training of producers and applicators; inclusion of the use of Dicamba as an agenda for the next meeting of the National Soybean Sectorial Chamber, and sending an official letter to the professional councils of the technicians responsible for prescribing this type of product, so that they can promote training among their members.

Situation of distribution of inputs and fertilizers

Another concern for the productive sector, the fear of scarcity of agricultural inputs such as chemical pesticides and fertilizers, was the second agenda for the meeting proposed by Aprosoja/RS. “We were even able to deal with the lack of these inputs at the beginning of planting, but not in the period of vegetative development until flowering, when we mainly need fungicides and insecticides,” Fucks warned.

Director of the Croplife Brasil Chemical Defensives Division, Andreza Martinez, explained that the shortage is due to the global panorama of pandemic and energy restrictions faced by China’s industrial and mining sectors. “It is a systemic and global problem. And even in the chemical pesticides market in Brazil, more than 60 percent of the components are imported, mostly from China,” he detailed.

As a follow-up, it was decided to take up with the national Sectorial Chamber the discussion on the reactivation of national industries of inputs and fertilizers to reduce dependence on imported products.

Sanitary void for the 2022/2023 harvest

The head of the Plant Health Defense Division, Ricardo Felicetti, presented a proposal for a sanitary void to be fulfilled from the 2022/2023 harvest. Members of the Sectorial Chamber will suggest changes until the next meeting, scheduled for early December, when the calendar should be finalized and sent to the Ministry of Agriculture by December 31.

Representatives of the following entities participated in the meeting: Aprosoja/RS, Andav, Aenda, Association of Agronomists of Northwestern Rio Grande do Sul (Aenorgs), Bayer, CropLife Brasil, Emater/RS-Ascar, Famurs, Farsul, Fecoagro, Ministry of Agriculture, Economic Development Secretariat and Sicredi.

The original Portuguese version of this article was released on GRUPO CULTIVAR.