MAPA updates Soybean Asian Rust National Program Control

This Thursday (03/08), was published the Portaria nº865, which reviews and updates the procedures foreseen at the Soybean Asian Rust National Program Control (PNCFS), which has as primary objective, the strengthening of the soybean agricultural production system, bringging up together strategic actions of vegetable sanitary protection with agricultural research support and techinical assitance at the plague prevention and control.

The new regulation aims to promote adjustments in the program’s governnance model, giving the Agricultural and Livestock Ministry’s Agricultural defense secretariat (MAPA) a larger autonomy at the  disease prevention and control  measure’s stabilishiment, in the superior and main instance of the Unified Agricultural Health Care System (SUASA).

The Asian Rust is caused by the Phakopsora pachyrhizi fungus and is considered one of the most severe disease that affect the soybean culture, being able to occur at any phonogical stage. In the numerous geographic regions, in which the disease was reported in epidemic levels, the damage ranges from 10% to 90% of production.

“To na adequate disease control and mitigation of potential losses that it may bring to the soybean production chain, there must be considered several aspects, including measures to recduce the inoculum of the fungus and the management of fungicide resistance. Considering that the soybean is grown at majority of brazilian states, oficial mesaures must cover the results to be achieved at national level”, explains the Plant Protection general-coordinator, Graciane Castro.

Among the phytosanitary measures provided for in the PNCFS: the sanitary void, is defined as a continuous period of at least 90 days during which no live plants of a plant species can be sown or maintained in a given area, aiming at reducing the inoculum of diseases or population of a given pest. The soybean sowing calendar, on the other hand, is recommended by scientific research as a measure aimed at rationalizing the number of fungicide applications and consequently reducing the risks of developing resistance to the fungus causing the disease.

Just like Other oficial plague prevention and control programs, the regional specific features can be considered, according to the excepitionalities provided for in the normative act, without, however, compromising the Sustainability of the production chain as a whole.

Article originally published in: MAPA updates Soybean Asian Rust National Program Control