According to researcher Décio Karam, from Embrapa Milho and Sorgo, currently in Brazil there are 28 herbicide resistant weed species at different levels and about 50 resistance reports made by farmers in several Brazilian regions.
The advancement of weeds on national crops can cause huge losses. According to the researcher, economic losses reach levels of R $ 9 billion.
“The estimate of the cost of resistance, only in the area of soybeans in Brazil, is between R $ 3.7 billion and R $ 6 billion, only computing the expenses for the management of resistant species. However, when there is a loss of 5% due to the competition imposed by these plants, costs reach up to R $ 9 billion, “he says.
Associated with this economic loss, Karam also cites another worrying fact: the absence of new mechanisms of control or management of the resistance in the next 10 years, since the active ingredients of the herbicides are still those launched in the last decades. “Buva, bittergrass, Amaranthus palmeri grass grass (identified in 2015 in the state of Mato Grosso) require strategies to prevent resistance. The key is integrated management, “explains Karam.
See below some strategies developed by Embrapa that can help against weed resistance.
Rotation of herbicides;
– Sequential application;
– Mixture of herbicides with similar residual;
– Application of products in leaks;
– Rotation of crops;
Integrated weed management (integration of control methods);
– Monitoring of changes in flora;
– Cleaning of equipment.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.