New online platform highlights overview of weed resistance to herbicides in Brazil

Researchers from Bayer and Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) are working in partnership to conduct a wide-ranging survey on weeds present in crops in Brazil.

The collected data was made available on a new online platform with free access, which also evaluates the effectiveness of productive systems as resilience strategies for managing herbicide-resistant weeds.

Since 2017, activities are being developed in different Brazilian regions for in corn, wheat, soy, cotton and pasture crops.

One of the survey’s objectives is to highlight and promote the concept of resistance and the different types, so producers can understand the importance of managing this issue more effectively.

It also aims to show producers that if investments in inputs are done appropriately, they will be worth it and will not cause damage to crop profitability.

″The seeds were taken to the Embrapa units for reproduction and then placed to germinate and emerge. With the plants from these germinated seeds, screenings were carried out with different herbicides to identify resistance or susceptibility,″ said researcher Décio Karam from Embrapa Maize and Sorghum, who is the leader of the project.

The areas were evaluated according to the level of investment in the use of herbicides, which were classified as low, medium and high.

″Our low investment standard was only done with the use of two mechanisms of action for herbicides, basically with glyphosate and atrazine. We observed that in areas with low investment, there was always greater infestation,″ Karam said.

He added that survey evaluated ″how much was spent on herbicides, and how much did producers gain in financial return. Over four years, with a high investment, there was greater profitability and better product quality.″

″Therefore, with further investment in the production system and a greater number of action mechanisms used, there is a higher economic return compared to producers who invest less in the management of weeds that are resistant to herbicides,″ Karam stressed.

The fieldwork has generated an unprecedented database on the resistance or susceptibility of weeds to herbicides.

This information is publicly available on an online platform developed by Embrapa, which enables viewers to see data on a map of Brazil, as well as in the form of graphics: https://mapas.cnpm.embrapa.br/apps/bayer/#/home

For Daniel Nigro (Manager of Agronomic Solutions at Bayer), the main focus of the partnership project is to make the information generated publicly available, along with the results of integrated management and mapping strategies in an objective and intelligible manner.

″We want to publicize and encourage integrated weed management strategies, mainly in terms of resistance control and resistance evolution. Therefore, we intend to show producers, academics, researchers and farmers that the investment required for the adoption of integrated weed management strategies pays off in the long-term,″ he said.

The advantages are not only due to financial and productivity issues, but also to the process of slowing down the evolution of weeds resistant to herbicides, he added.

″For this reason, we want to make sure that the scientific information generated is transmitted to society in an objective and clear way that is easy to understand, and that the platform can help facilitate the adoption of integrated weed management by Brazilian farmers,″ he said in conclusion.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)