Feb 15, 2018
Embrapa Releases New Soybean Variety more Resistant to Soy Rust
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Researchers from the Brazilian agricultural research service Embrapa have recently released a new soybean variety that offers better resistance to soybean rust. The new variety, BRS 511, was released at the 30th edition of Show Rural Coopavel.
The new soybean variety has a technology called Shield that prevents the soybean rust disease from progressing once a plant is infected. This lowers the potential yield loss from the disease and it reduces the chances of the disease spreading to nearby fields. Farmers will still need to apply fungicides in an effort to prevent the disease from entering the plant, but the frequency of applications will be reduced.
This new technology could not come at a better time as many popular fungicides in Brazil are losing their effectiveness against the disease. In fact, Embrapa significantly reduced their list of recommended fungicides due to disease developing resistance to many of the traditional fungicides. Embrapa also changed their recommendations on the time intervals between fungicide applications.
Their prior recommendation was to apply a fungicide every three weeks after the disease was discovered in the region. They changed the recommended time interval this growing season and now they advise farmers to apply a fungicide every two weeks after the disease has been confirmed in the region. They also recommend that farmers rotate their fungicides to help prevent the disease from developing further resistance.
The new variety will be available for planting during the 2018/19 growing season and it is recommended for the states of Parana, Mato Grosso do Sul, Sao Paulo, Santa Catarina, and southern Goias. The state of Parana in fact, registered the most cases of soybean rust during the current growing season of any state in Brazil.