Nov 30, 2009
Heavy Rains In Rio Grande do Sul Slow Soybean And Rice Planting
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Farmers in Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil's southern most state) suffered significant yield losses from dry weather in early 2009 and now the planting of their 2009-10 crops is being delayed by too much rain. For the last several weeks, heavy rains have been falling in the state at regular intervals slowing the wheat harvest and keeping rice and soybean planting at a slower than normal pace.
The two most important crops in Rio Grande do Sul are soybeans and rice, both of which have been negatively impacted by the recent heavy rains that have afflicted the state. As of late last week, the soybean crop in the state was 39% planted compared to a normal of 60%. The soybean planting in the state only advanced 1% last week. The heavy rains have also caused extensive erosion and the subsequent loss of recently applied fertilizers as well as resulting in poor germination and stand establishment.
Most of the remaining unplanted soybean acreage in the state will be double cropped after wheat, but the wheat harvest is also being delayed. The wheat crop in the state is 69% harvested compared at an average of 92%. The remaining wheat is also losing quality and quantity the longer it stands in the field. The planting window for full-season soybeans in the state is closing rapidly. If planting is delayed until December, soybean yields in the state start to decline at an increasing rate.
The rice crop in the state has not fared much better. The state extension service estimates that the state's rice production will be down at least 10% from earlier estimates due to reduced acreage and delayed planting. All the rice produced in the state is irrigated and the heavy rains have flooded the rice fields before the farmers could plant the entire crop. If rice planting is delayed until December, shorter maturity varieties must be planted and these shorter cycle varieties are generally lower yielding than full season rice varieties.