Parana hit hardest by soybean rust of any State in Brazil

Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
 

Soybean producers in the state of Parana have noticed in recent years that their state has been recording the highest number of soybean rust cases of any state in Brazil. The anti-rust division of Embrapa confirmed again that the most cases of soybean rust during the 2018/19 growing season occurred in Parana, especially in western Parana near the municipality of Cascavel.
 

It has also been noted that the disease has become more aggressive in recent years with a higher potential for losses. A heavily infested field that is not treated with the proper fungicide might be completely lost within a few days.
 

Soybean rust was first discovered in Brazil during the 2000/01 growing season and it became widespread within a few years. It became the major soybean pest in Brazil about 12 years ago and many of the current fungicides on the market are losing their ability to control the disease. During the 2018/19 growing season, as many as 5 fungicide applications were required in western Parana to limit the damage from the disease.
 

Since the first of the year, the Secretary of Agriculture for the state of Parana has been asking the Brazilian Minister of Agriculture to take a more aggressive approach for a nationwide plan to control soybean rust. One approach they are promoting is a more specific soybean-free period for each region of the country maybe even down to the municipality level.