The second harvest has been gaining increasing importance in Brazil's agricultural strategy. According to the Conab forecast released this Tuesday (14), corn production should show growth in the 2024/2025 season, with an estimated 119.6 million tons of grain in the sum of the three harvests of the cereal, 3.3% above the previous season. The second corn harvest, as it is also called, is responsible for approximately 80% of this total.

In cotton, the cultivation area should reach 2 million hectares planted, with an estimated production of 3.7 million tons of fiber, most of which will be produced in the second harvest.

To take full advantage of the productive potential of each crop, the producer needs to be aware of several factors. For Sérgio Zambon, Technology Development Manager for Brazil at BASF Agricultural Solutions, a successful second harvest begins with the previous crop.

"It is important to properly manage the crop before planting to avoid high infestations of pests such as nematodes, whiteflies and bugs, as well as target spot in second-crop cotton cultivation. Next, it is necessary to plan for all the needs of the second-crop crop, fertilizers, pesticides, good seed treatment, thinking about harvest storage, workforce training, etc.", comments Zambon.

According to the specialist, it is essential to sow in the best planting window and choose certified, high-yield, treated seeds, resistant to the main threats and adapted to the climate and needs of each region.

It is also important to pay attention to the management of pests, diseases and weeds to avoid yield losses, in addition to complications in the subsequent crop cycle. See more tips from the BASF specialist:

- Combat corn leafhoppers early, with efficient products, with the first applications being the most important.

- Choose high-quality and efficient products, in addition to rotating insecticides, fungicides and herbicides, with different mechanisms of action, to delay the emergence of pest resistance as much as possible.
- Use fungicides preventively, with the addition of so-called multi-site fungicides in all applications, to broaden the spectrum of action and protect productivity.
If necessary, choose genetically modified cultivars, which facilitate the control of weeds, pests and diseases and are resistant or tolerant to nematodes, all to have a clean end to the second harvest and avoid problems in the subsequent cycle.

When growing cotton, it is also important to pay attention to excessive plant growth.

"Cotton, being a perennial plant, tends to grow a lot during its vegetative phase, which can harm the crop. Growth regulators help control the development of the cotton plant, preventing it from growing excessively. This favors phytosanitary management and harvesting operations, directs the photoassimilates produced by the plants for greater productivity and resistance, and contributes to greater production of finer and longer fibers, which can increase the value of the product on the market", concludes Zambon.

BASF has a complete portfolio of solutions to support rural producers in all stages of the second harvest, from planting to harvesting, with seeds, seed treatments, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides and growth regulators for the management of the main crops. Recently, two varieties of FiberMax® cotton were launched with the exclusive Seletio™ System technology, specially developed to control weeds that are difficult to combat in Brazil, such as crow's foot (Eleusine indica), in addition to resistance to ramularia and nematodes of M. incognita and R. reniformis.

In digital agriculture, BASF also offers solutions to support farmers at different stages of the cycle, through xarvio® Digital Farming Solutions, the company's global digital agriculture brand. At the beginning of the second crop, the Plot Nutritional Management solution offers an efficient alternative for soil analysis, allowing up to 77% savings, with the same agronomic efficiency as traditional analysis.

At the time of planting, the Sowing Maps facilitate variable-rate planting, which can generate a 5.4% increase in productivity in corn and up to 6.4% in cotton, when used in conjunction with the FiberMax® recommendation.

In maintaining the cycle, digital mapping of weeds facilitates crop management, with more precise and sustainable control of weed outbreaks, achieving an average of 60% optimization of inputs and resources, such as water.

Source: Notícias Agrícolas