Jul 27, 2010
Few Volunteer Soybeans Found During Soybean-free Period in Brazil
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
State inspectors in Mato Grosso have indicated that there have been few problems thus far in maintaining the 90-day soybean free period in the state. The program, which was initiated four years ago, requires that no live soybean plants are permitted in the state between June 15th and September 15th, unless they are for pre-approved scientific research. This includes volunteer soybeans that may germinate in the field, along the side of the road, or in the vicinity of grain handling equipment.
The purpose of the program is to limit the amount of soybean rust spores that can be carried over from one growing season to the next. The rust spores cannot survive for more than 60 days without a host plant, so if there were no soybean plants, it would help to limit the advance of the disease. Other tropical legumes can serve as hosts for the rust spores, but soybeans are the preferred host plant.
Inspectors for the state department of agriculture indicated that they have issued 25 notices to property owners that volunteer soybeans have been found on their property and that the plants must be destroyed. This is less than the number of notifications that were issued last year by this time. The early onset of the dry season has helped to hold down the possibility for volunteer soybeans to germinate in the fields or along the highways. If a property owner has been notified about the presence of volunteer soybeans on his property and he does not destroy them within a certain period of time, he can be fined, but fines are generally limited to farmers who intentionally plant commercial soybeans during the prohibited period.
The potential for a La Nina to be in place by the time soybean planting starts in Brazil is both good news and bad news. La Nina generally result in dryer than normal weather conditions during the spring and early summer in southern Brazil. The potential for dry weather would be good news for controlling the advance of soybean rust, but of course, it would be bad news for the germination and stand establishment of the soybean crop.