Rafael Battisti

The soybean yield gap in Brazil – magnitude, causes and possible solutions for sustainable production

Brazil is one of the most important soybean producers in the world. Soybean is a very important crop for the country as it is used for several purposes, from food to biodiesel production. The levels of soybean yield in the different growing regions of the country vary substantially, which results in yield gaps of considerable magnitude. The present study aimed to investigate the soybean yield gaps in Brazil, their magnitude and causes, as well as possible solutions for a more sustainable production. The concepts of yield gaps were reviewed and their values for the soybean crop determined in 15 locations across Brazil. Yield gaps were determined using potential and attainable yields, estimated by a crop simulation model for the main maturity groups of each region, as well as the average actual famers’ yield, obtained from national surveys provided by the Brazilian Government for a period of 32 years (1980–2011). The results showed that the main part of the yield gap was caused by water deficit, followed by sub-optimal crop management. The highest yield gaps caused by water deficit were observed mainly in the south of Brazil, with gaps higher than 1600 kg/ha, whereas the lowest were observed in Tapurah, Jatai, Santana do Araguaia and Uberaba, between 500 and 1050 kg/ha. The yield gaps caused by crop management were mainly concentrated in South-central Brazil. In the soybean locations in the mid-west, north and north-east regions, the yield gap caused by crop management was 2000 kg/ha. For reducing the present soybean yield gaps observed in Brazil, several solutions should be adopted by growers, which can be summarized as irrigation, crop rotation and precision agriculture. Improved dissemination of agricultural knowledge and the use of crop simulation models as a tool for improving crop management could further contribute to reduce the Brazilian soybean yield gap.

Eficiência climática para as culturas da soja e do trigo no estado do Rio Grande do Sul em diferentes datas de semeadura

Eficiencia climatica (EC) e um indice que demonstra em termos quantitativos a reducao produtiva ocasionada pelo deficit hidrico. Assim, este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a EC das culturas da soja e do trigo para o estado do Rio Grande do Sul, considerando-se diferentes locais e datas de semeaduras. A EC foi obtida pela relacao entre as produtividades atingivel (PA) e potencial (PPf), estimadas por meio de modelos de simulacao. A PA foi obtida pela estimativa da PPf, a qual foi determinada pelo metodo de Zona Agroecologica da FAO, deflacionada pelo deficit hidrico em cada uma das fases das culturas para cada data de semeadura, entre os anos de 1979 e 2008. Os resultados evidenciaram que as datas de semeadura influenciam a EC para a cultura da soja, a qual variou de 0,31 a 0,61. Com base nos resultados de EC e PA, ha um ganho de produtividade com o atraso da semeadura de 01/10 para 21/12. Para a cultura do trigo, a EC media foi superior a 0,81, o que leva a concluir que se deve optar por datas de semeadura em que ha maior PPf. As maiores PPf para o trigo sao obtidas nas semeaduras a partir de meados do mes de junho ao final do mes de julho.

Eficiência agrícola da produção de soja, milho e trigo no estado do Rio Grande do Sul entre 1980 e 2008

Agricultural efficiency (EA) is used as an indicator of the level of regional agricultural development, reflecting, by mean of the ratio between actual and achievable yields, the crop technology level. Based on that, the objective of this study was to evaluate the EA for soybean, corn and wheat crops in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, between 1980 and 2008, identifying the main factors which conditioned it. EA was obtained by the relationship between the achievable yield (PA) and actual crop yield (PR). PR was obtained from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) data base. PA was obtained by estimating the potential yield (PPf) with the FAO Agroecological Zone method, penalized by the water deficit for each crop phase. Average EAs for corn, soybean and wheat crops were 54, 61 and 43%, respectively. On the contrary of the majority of location, in Santa Rosa, Sao Borja and Veranopolis EA values were negative for soybean crop. The main factors that contributed to the increase of EA, in the majority of the locations, were: change on the soil use and fertility; use of agricultural machinery; prices paid for commodities; investments in research and development; climatic risk zoning; and plant breeding.

Desempenho de métodos de estimativa da evapotranspiração de referência nas localidades de Frederico Westphalen e Palmeira das Missões, RS

The estimation of reference evapotranspiration (ETo), used in water balance, allows to determine soil water content, assisting on irrigation management. The present study aimed to compare simple ETo estimating methods with the Penman-Monteith (FAO), in the folowing time scales: daily, 5, 10, 15 and 30 days and monthly in the counties of Frederico Westphalen and Palmeira das Missoes, in the Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. The methods tested had their efficiency improved by increasing the time scale of analysis, keeping the same performance for both locations. The highest and lowest ETo values occurred in December and June, respectively. Most methods underestimated ETo. For any of the time scales Makking and Radiaton FAO24 methods can replace the Penman-Monteith for estimating ETo.

Temperatura basal, duração do ciclo e constante térmica para a cultura do crambe

Crambe is an alternative crop, precocious and with potential to produce oil during the cold season. The scarcity of information about climatic and phenological parameters led to the determination of basal temperature, crop growth cycle duration and growing degree-days of Crambe. The research was composed of seven sowing dates in 2009 and four in 2010. Basal temperature was determined by the methods of least variability and relative development. The basal temperature for the subperiod emergence-maturation (EME-MAT) was 9.5 °C, whereas for the subperiods seedling emergency-early flowering stage (EME-IFLO), seedling emergency-end of flowering (EME-FFLO) and early flowering-end of flowering (IFLO-FFLO) were 10.2 oC, 10.8 °C and 10.0 oC, respectively. The subperiod between EME-MAT ranged from 74 to 136 days with an average duration of 96 days. For EME-FLO, EME-FFLO and IFLO- FFLO the average duration was 52, 82 and 29 days, respectively. Considering the values †of basal temperature for each period or subperiod, the average time between EME-MAT was 691 oC day, ranging between 576 oC day and 792 oC day. For EME-IFLO, EME-FFLO and IFLO-FFLO, the average was 279 oC day, varying between 444 °C day and 220 oC day.

Dinâmica floral e abortamento de flores em híbridos de canola e mostarda castanha

The objective of this work was to evaluate the floral dynamics and to determine the index of flower abortion in canola (Brassica napus) and Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) hybrids, as well as to determine their relation with meteorological conditions of southern Brazil. During flowering, ten hybrids of canola and two of Indian mustard were evaluated every three days as to the number of open flowers, pods, and aborted flowers. The cumulative and the relative number of flowers were used to evaluate floral dynamics. The relation of these numbers with the accumulated thermal sum during flowering was determined with a logistic model. Groups of genotypes with different flowering rates were identified using the model coefficients. Flower abortion among hybrids ranged from 10.53 to 45.96% and was correlated with temperature and hydric demand of the atmosphere. Genotypes with larger thermal times between the peak and the end of flowering generally had higher percentages of flower abortion. The adjustment of data from flower emission to those of the thermal sum of the flowering period, using a logistic model, allows simulating floral dynamics of hybrids of canola and Indian mustard.

Assessment of crop-management strategies to improve soybean resilience to climate change in Southern Brazil

Abstract. Management is the most important handle to improve crop yield and resilience under climate change. The aim of this study was to evaluate how irrigation, sowing date, cultivar maturity group and planting density can contribute for increasing the resilience of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) under future climate in southern Brazil. Five sites were selected to represent the range of Brazilian production systems typical for soybean cultivation. Yields were obtained from a crop-model ensemble (CROPGRO, APSIM and MONICA). Three climate scenarios were evaluated: baseline (1961–2014), and two future climate scenarios for the mid-century (2041–70) with low (+2.2°C, A1BLs) and high (+3.2°C, A1BHs) deltas for air temperature and with atmospheric [CO2] of 600 ppm. Supplementary irrigation resulted in higher and more stable yields, with gains in relation to a rainfed crop of 543, 719, 758 kg ha–1, respectively, for baseline, A1BLs and A1BHs. For sowing date, the tendencies were similar between climate scenarios, with higher yields when soybean was sown on 15 October for each simulated growing season. Cultivar maturity group 7.8 and a plant density of 50 plants m−2 resulted in higher yields in all climate scenarios. The best crop-management strategies showed similar tendency for all climate scenarios in Southern Brazil.