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 Main subject - may/june 2004
Technology of sowing: cares and challenges
THE VISION OF THREE COMPANIES
Certainly, good part of the success of a crop depends on the rapidity and uniformity of the desired plant population establishment, which in turn are directly associated to the sowing process. Factors as the sowing time, soil moisture and temperature, land preparation, sowing density, fertilization, depth of sowing and quality of the seed, are decisive for success.
Coming back to this important subject, we decided to hear the experiences of three Brazilian agricultural companies: the Hadler & Hasse, through its responsible technician (RT), Germano Hadler; Agro-Sol Seeds, represented for the RT José Francisco Vieira Martins; and the Agropastoril Jotabasso, in the words of Aírton Francisco de Jesus and Edmar Lopes Dantas.
Located in the State of Mato Grosso, Agro-Sol Seeds cultivates an area of 5,000 ha of soybean, 300 ha of rice and 2,100 ha of cotton, 200 ha of which for production of seeds and the other part for fiber production. The company entered in the market of seed production and commercialization from harvest 1999/2000. The Jotabasso company has its headquarter in State of Mato Grosso do Sul and cultivates 26,000 ha with soybean, cotton, maize, beans, wheat, and oats.
The company Hadler & Hasse is situated in the State of Rio Grande do Sul. The irrigated rice, with 3,000 ha cultivated annually, constitutes the main crop, 500 ha are destined to soybean, 200 ha to sorghum, 400 ha to ryegrass and 20 ha to white clover.
Time and ways of preparation
In order not to lose the best moment, with respect to the form and time when the company starts to prepare itself for sowing, José Francisco Martins, of Agro-Sol, informs that, normally, the company starts to prepare itself before the last harvesting, therefore it is necessary to plan the cultural practices of post-harvest (weed control, calcareous application, planting millet or sorghum to act as soil protector). Also mapping the area is carried through, on the basis of the last harvesting results. "Thus, it is possible to choose the best crop and variety to be planted in each area", justifies. In the case of Hadler & Hasse, according to Germano Hadler, in the areas of direct cultivation, the work is initiated in the previous year, at least with ten months of antecedence. When in same areas, the preparation starts during the previous harvest or immediately after harvesting.
"The company starts to organize sowing, first carrying out a production plan, with involvement of the technical area ", disclose Aírton de Jesus, of Jotabasso. "In this planning they defined the cultivars, the areas destined to each one, the sowing schedule (as we produce seed, scheduling areas and time of sowing is necessary to reduce production risks), fertilization, control of plagues, weeds and diseases", inform. He remembers that previously sowing and harvesting the required machines are determined, as the human resources for each operation and carried through the necessary training.
Germano Hadler - RT - Hadler e Hasse
germano@hadlerhasse.com.br
Cultivation Systems
In the experience of Hadler & Hasse and Jotabasso, the system of Direct Planting has the preference, however it requires greater care: "Despite the easiness and anticipation of its practices, we work based on targets that must be fulfilled, either in the application of herbicides or with sowing itself. As sowing is initiated, its success depends on the fulfillment of the program ", observes Hadler. Its company also uses the Minimum Tillage, Conventional Preparation and Preparation under Water (variation of pre-germinated system). On the other hand, Jotabasso uses the Direct Planting in all the cultivated area. Edmar Dantas, of the Jotabasso, emphasizes that this system requires special care, as straw maintenance in the surface of the soil, to transit machines in adequate conditions of soil moisture to reduce problems of compacting, correction of acidity and toxic aluminum, among others practices.
Agro-Sol Seeds uses the Direct Planting for soybean while for cotton, the Minimum Tillage and Conventional System are used. Cotton requires destruction of the remaining crop parts after harvesting. "Here in Mato Grosso (tropical climate), where the precipitations are well located, the Conventional System requires great care on lose soils with a deep profile where of erosions occurrence is a reality", evaluates José Francisco.
Graded Seed
Hadler & Hasse and Jotabasso are unanimous in detaching that the sowing process is improved by the use of graded seeds. The first one uses coated clover seeds and fungicide treated soybean seeds. Jotabasso uses seeds treated with fungicides, micronutrients and rhyzobium. On the other side Agro-Sol as it uses vacuum planter, that sows seed by seed, graded seeds are not so important. The graphite is considered important to facilitate the flow of seeds in the sowing machine.
Density of sowing
In Agro-Sol Seeds, the sowing density is determined based on the variety, on the germination percentage and field emergence. The same happens in the vision of Jotabasso, emphasizing the importance of the cultivar characteristics, the recommended population, the time of sowing and the level of soil fertility where the sowing will occur. In the case of irrigated rice, the sowing density is related to the variation of the amount of levels in the field. According to Hadler & Hasse, it is directly proportional to the topography of the land, since the company uses seeds with high germination and vigor and has as goal to use 125 kg/ha, the machines are adjusted independently of the germination percentage. Germano Hadler observes that, higher the number of levels, higher the necessity for seeds.
The adjustment of the sowing density is based, first, in the vigor of the seed for sowing occasion and later in the evaluation of the germination data. "If a seed lot has high germination, and a considerable homogeneous vigor, this adjustment becomes less problematic, therefore it is enough to sow well. If the vigor is low and germination average, with certainty, not all the seeds that do germinate go to originate a normal seedling, causing irregular stands ", ponders Agro-Sol.
José Francisco Vieira Martins - RT - Agro-Sol Sementes
Jose.francisco@grupoagro-sol.com.br
Adjustments of the sowing machine
According to José Francisco Martins, some factors must be observed to get a good stand, as for the adjustment of the sowing machine. First he indicates the perfect regulation of the gears, responsible for the distribution of the seeds, and discs, people in charge of the opening of the ridge where the seed will fall, in order to get a desired stand and the ideal depth where the seeds will be placed in the soil. "Also we have the fertilizer regulations, as much in the amount per hectare as in the depth of distribution in the soil and its localization (below or to the side of the seed with a depth around 10 cm). Finally, we have the regulation of the mechanism responsible for closing and compacting the soil, eliminating probable 'air bubbles' that would harm the germination process", explains.
All the regulations are directly related to the field conditions, as physical structure, type of covering and system of planting, being necessary changes in the exchange of an area for another one of different configuration. An initial adjustment can be made in the workshops, but it is at field level that occurs the main regulations of the sowing machine, where are chosen the cutting system to be used, system of covering the seed, system of distribution, etc, being necessary periodic adjustments. "We do adjust the sowing machine based on 90% germination and 125kg/ha in rice. In soybean, we use the corresponding disc based on the diameter of the seed. In the other crops we calculate the density in function of its germination, correcting for 100%", discloses Hadler.
page 2 ->> Technology of sowing: cares and challenges
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