Resistance genes against soybean Asian rust were identified
Brazil
Anvisa has approved the toxicological evaluation of two new formulated products (isopyrazam + cyproconazole), from Syngenta, and rejected the toxicological evaluations of aluminum phosphide, from AAZ UTILIDADES, and thiamethoxam, from REAL FERT. (Anvisa)
Product developed by Embrapa and Innova Agrotecnologia might obtain a “dual” registration (inoculant and pesticide). The objective is for this product to replace part of the chemical fungicides in soybeans. The product, which was already granted a temporary use permit, is a combination of three bacterial strains that act in biological nitrogen fixation and promote plant growth: BR 29 (Bradyrhizobium elkani), BR 10788 (Bacilus subtilis) and BR 10141 (Paraburkholderia nodosa). (Embrapa; Innova Agrotecnologia)
Research indicated the Araguaia River, which flows through the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso, Tocantins and Pará, has high levels of atrazine, carbendazim, cyanazine, imidacloprid, 2,4-D, clomazone, chlorpyrifos-ethyl and imazalil. “It was evident that the majority of sub-basins had concentrations of pesticides in the water that exceeded safe levels for human consumption,” according to an article published by researchers from the Federal and State Universities of Mato Grosso, Federal University of Goiás and Federal University of Santa Maria. “The pesticides detected were associated with anomalies in ontogenetic development, disease and mortality of organisms.” (Environmental Advances)
“In a similar way to the previous legislation, the new Pesticide Law continues to provide for a system of triple responsibility (administrative, civil and criminal) in its articles 49 to 57 with regards to damage caused to people’s health and the environment by pesticides”, according to Giovani Ferri, prosecutor at the Public Ministry of the State of Paraná, and Luciano Loubet, prosecutor at the Public Ministry of the State of Mato Grosso do Sul. “By differentiating permitted pesticides from unregistered or unauthorized pesticides, the new law seeks to more severely punish crimes involving illegal pesticides that commonly enter Brazil through its extensive border”. (Conjur; Public Ministry of PR; Public Ministry of MS)
Fertilizer market is close to resuming its trajectory of records seen before the 2022 crisis. Sales are expected to increase 4% in 2024, reaching 47 million tonnes. (The Mosaic Company)
According to Lucas Alves, key account manager at Kynetec Brazil, the bioinputs market is consolidating more and more. “Even with all the progress in recent years, this market is still far from reaching its maximum potential and should continue to show a positive trend in the coming seasons”, said Alves. Investments in R&D and more familiarity and trust on the part of farmers are some of the factors highlighted by Alves for the growth of the bioinputs market. (Kynetec)
In this season, fertilizer purchases are moving more slowly when compared to previous years. “So far, fertilizer purchases for the 2024/25 soybean in Brazil are around 20%, whereas in the same period in 2023 almost 33% of the soybeans was already purchased”, said Jeferson Souza, market analyst at Agrinvest Commodities . “If I were to list one factor to justify this delay, it would be the sharp drop in oilseed prices and, more than that, a very sudden drop in the farmer’s profitability. I think that this greatly interferes when it comes to deciding when to purchase”. (Agrinvest Commodities)
Crop-livestock integration can reduce the use of fertilizers and mitigate climate impacts, according to a study by Embrapa Cerrado. Integrated systems can be beneficial for reducing nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and reducing phosphorus and potassium applications, compared to continuous cropping systems fertilized with the normally recommended doses of these nutrients. “Our results suggest that integrated systems, which include crops and pasture, with half the dose of P and K, are more effective in mitigating N2O emissions, which, in the current context of the climate crisis and the global fertilizer industry, is an aspect of great relevance for agriculture”, according to Arminda Carvalho, Alexsandra de Oliveira and Robélio Marchão, researchers at Embrapa. (Embrapa Cerrado)
The Federal Senate’s Agriculture and Agrarian Reform Committee should vote on Bill No. 699/2023, which establishes the Fertilizer Industry Development Program – Profert. This project seeks to grant tax benefits to encourage fertilizer production in Brazil. “The focus of the plan is the production of fertilizers in the Brazilian territory, seeking to reduce the scarcity of the product due to failures in the supply chains and price volatility. Fertilizers in Brazil are a matter of national sovereignty and food security. It is unacceptable for Brazil to have such a huge agricultural sector and live with this vulnerability”, said senator Laércio Oliveira. (Senate Agency)
Sell Agro, an adjuvant company, highlights the use of adjuvants as fundamental to improve pesticide spraying on cotton. “They also increase the physiological stimulus of the plant, providing an optimization in the applications of herbicides, fungicides and insecticides. The performance of agricultural products is increased [by using adjuvants], with more coverage, retention, spreading, wetness and penetration of the products in the leaves, as a result of the standardization and durability of the drops in agricultural spraying”, said the company’s commercial director, Alexandre Gazon. (Sell Agro)
Eurochem facility built in Serra do Salitre, in the State of Minas Gerais, will begin operating on March 13th and should manufacture 500 thousand tonnes of fertilizers in 2024. This is the largest project of the Eurochem group outside Europe, demanding investments of US$ 1 billion. “This allows us to be competitive in Brazil and overcome logistics issues. As there is a reduction in the cost of importing potash-based products, we will have more competitiveness in the country”, said Gustavo Horbach, president of Eurochem in South America. (Eurochem)
The non-profit research organization 2Blades, and Bayer, have identified resistance genes against soybean Asian rust, which may help to develop better strategies to control the disease. Furthermore, the project made advances in understanding the fungus Phakopsora pachyrhizi, which causes soybean Asian rust, by carrying out its complete genomic sequencing. Project was supported by The Sainsbury Laboratory, from the UK, and the Federal University of Viçosa, from the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. (2Blades; Bayer Crop Science)
Federal Police and Border Police Battalion seized a ship with 700 kg of smuggled pesticides in Pato Bragado, State of Paraná. 28 bags of the product were found in a ship at Itaipu Lake. (Federal Police)
Atlas Agro plans to invest US$ 867.6 million for the construction of the first nitrogen fertilizer plant from green hydrogen in Brazil, in Uberaba, State of Minas Gerais. Operations are expected to start in 2028, with the objective to produce green hydrogen, green ammonia and green ammonium nitrate. The company just announced the hiring of two engineering and construction consortiums that will carry out the development of the engineering project for the construction of the factory. (Atlas Agro)
On February 2nd, Anvisa will hold a video conference to present the main points of Guideline No. 69/2023, which provides guidance to companies on how Anvisa evaluates the neurotoxicity of the active ingredients of pesticides. (Anvisa)
State Agency for Animal and Plant Health Defense of the State of Mato Grosso do Sul – Iagro issued a warning in regards to the danger of buying irregular citrus seedlings due to the HLB disease (greening) in the State. “Iagro issued a phytosanitary alert about the risks of buying and planting seedlings without proper origin… These seedlings have no guarantee of identity, nor of quality for use in domestic or commercial orchards. They represent a serious danger to the state’s orchards”, said Glaucy Ortiz, manager of plant health inspection and defense at Iagro. (Iagro)
Fertilizer injector guarantees more precision in fertigation. According to researchers Luis dos Reis, from the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of the South of Minas Gerais, and José Neto, from Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, “farmers can now count on fertilizer injector equipment, which provides practicality and precision in fertigation”. This equipment doses liquid fertilizers following the recommendation, and directly into the irrigation line. In this way, the injector makes it possible “to program the area to be irrigated, the fertigation recommendation and the concentration in the fertilizer solution (electrical conductivity) through a graphic display and a keyboard”. (Esalq; Ifsuldeminas)
Latin America
Petrobras from Brazil, and TBEA Group from China are expressing interest in the production of potassium fertilizers in Bolivia. According to the country’s minister of hydrocarbons and energy, Franklin Molina, the company “Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos” is receiving technical proposals for projects related to evaporite resources from national and international companies. In this sense, YLB recently received proposals from the companies Petrobras and TBEA, which consist of projects of interest for potash fertilizer factories”. The companies are interested in the salt mines in the departments of Potosí and Oruro. (Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Energy)
Ministry of Agriculture of Colombia has launched an incentive program for the purchase of fertilizers by small coffee farmers. Subsidies of up to 30% will be given through the Agricultural Inputs Access Fund. The program benefits small coffee farmers in the departments of Magdalena, Bolívar, Antioquia, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Cauca, Nariño, La Guajira, Cesar, Norte de Santander, Arauca, Huila, Santander and Cundinamarca, with farms under five hectares. 93 municipalities will benefit, in 14 departments. (Ministry of Agriculture)
Luis Osorio, executive director of the Crop Protection, Science and Technology Association – Proccyt, from Mexico, said that the ban on glyphosate, which comes into force in March of 2024, not only affects the pesticide industry, but the entire agrifood chain in the country. Lack of a viable substitute for the herbicide raises concerns, as glyphosate has played a crucial role in protecting Mexico’s crops and in food production for more than 40 years. (Proccyt)
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