Increase applications of lepidopteran pesticides in Bt technologies in Brazil

Date:11-16-2023

Although Bt technologies have expanded their presence in Brazilian crops, there has also been a new increase in the adoption of treatments with lepidopteran pesticides. This is highlighted in the new FarmTrak Soybean Seed Crop 2022-23 survey by Kynetec, which AgroPages had access to.

"These products reached almost 80% of planting in areas with Bt biotechnologies, compared to about 50% five seasons ago," emphasizes Millôr Mondini, a specialist at Kynetec. Lepidopteran pesticides, he points out, accounted for 30%, or BRL 3.7 billion, of the total BRL 12.2 billion insecticide market during this period.

In addition to this scenario, Mondini adds that Kynetec's FarmTrak also highlights the accelerated evolution of the bio-lepidopteran pesticide market. According to the specialist, such products already generate BRL 186 million in soybean cultivation. "Data indicates a trend of new leaps related to biological lepidopteran pesticides in the coming seasons. They are increasingly present in crops as a complementary tool to IPM or Integrated Pest Management," emphasizes Millôr Mondini.

On the other hand, he concludes, the research revealed little representative adoption by producers of the so-called "new" next-generation biotechnologies, which accounted for just over two million hectares or 5% of the cultivated area.

SEED MARKET

With a 6% increase in soybean cultivation area, to more than 42 million hectares, the soybean seed market reached BRL 24.5 billion in the last crop, an 18% increase compared to the 2021-22 cycle (BRL 20.76 billion). According to the data from FarmTrak Soybean 2022-23, 'Bt' seeds reached over 90% of the crops, while 'RR' seeds occupied 8%.

According to Kynetec specialist Millôr Mondini, the result "is highly representative, as it confirms, crop after crop, the strength of the seed sector within the productive process of the country's most important agricultural crop." He states that compared to the 2020-21 period when this segment traded BRL 15.6 billion, the accumulated growth reached 57%.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)

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