Crop rotation is one of the most important management strategies. As proof, in the 2011/12 cycle, the planted area of rice in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in rotation with soybeans occupied 121,166 thousand hectares, whereas in the 2021/22 cycle this number jumped to 370,594 thousand hectares, a growth of 205% in ten years, according to a survey by the Rio Grandense do Arroz Institute (Irga). The productivity has been even higher: from 31.8 bags per hectare in 2019/20 to 52.3 in 2020/21, an increase of 64.4%. According to a coordinator of Irga, André Matos, this growth was due to the evolution of the macro and micro drainage, with more investments, as well as the upsurge of new technologies: “Soybean is the main alternative used by producers in Rio Grande do Sul who seek weed management strategies due to the number of cases of herbicide-resistant weeds”, he says.
Source: Canal Rural (*Translated by Ia Niani)