Agropecuária Catarinense Journal

Pesquisa agropecuária- 50 anos de inovação e desenvolvimento

Dirceu Leite — 2025-08-29

Saiba por que a agricultura catarinense evoluiu tanto nos últimos 50 anos. Segundo o presidente da Epagri, Dirceu Leite, graças à pesquisa agropecuária, Santa Catarina tornou-se referência nacional em produção de maçã, arroz irrigado, suínos e frangos, além de se destacar na produção de leite, feijão, hortaliças e cultivos florestais. Em suas palavras, a Epagri tem orgulho em fazer parte dessa trajetória de sucesso, inovação e compromisso com o futuro. Leia na Opinião: Pesquisa agropecuária: 50 anos de inovação e desenvolvimento.

Tomate enxertado, a nova realidade da tomaticultura no Alto Vale do Rio do Peixe

Janice Valmorbida — 2025-08-29

Em termos de Brasil, Santa Catarina é o nono estado produtor de tomate, representando 3,13% da área nacional e o Alto Vale do Rio do Peixe (AVRP) é a principal região produtora do estado. A partir da safra 2020/2021 o plantio de tomate enxertado ganhou expressão no AVRP. Na safra 2024/2025 foram plantadas, aproximadamente, 9.500.000 plantas de tomate, das quais 70% com porta-enxertos, consolidando a adoção dessa tecnologia em plantio a campo aberto.

Mastitis in dairy buffaloes

Júlia Paiva de Oliveira — 2025-07-18

Buffaloes, originally from Asia and well adapted to different climates, are important in global livestock farming, especially for meat and milk production. In Brazil, since their introduction to Marajó Island at the end of the 19th century, buffalo farming has grown, concentrating in the North of the country. With approximately 1.6 million animals, Brazil has the largest herd outside Asia. Buffalo milk, notable for its nutritional value and superior industrial yield, has driven the expansion of dairy products in Brazil, such as mozzarella, yogurts and cheeses. Buffalo milk, like bovine milk, can have its composition and quality affected by mastitis. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the characteristics of mastitis in buffaloes, as well as its impacts, prevention and control described in the literature. To this end, a narrative review of the literature was conducted by accessing the following databases: SciELO, Science Direct and Google Scholar. Fifty-nine publications were highlighted, covering the period between 2003 and 2024. The literature highlights that the prevention and control of mastitis require rigorous external agricultural practices to manage the microorganisms that cause the infection, with a focus on the hygiene of facilities and the training of producers. In addition, there is an urgent need for investments in research and development of innovative technologies that promote the sustainability of buffalo milk production in Brazil, guaranteeing the population high-quality milk free of microorganisms related to mastitis.

SCS208 Cronos: black bean cultivar with high grain yield stability and adaptability, excellent grain quality and sanity, for Southern Brazil.

Sydney Antonio Frehner Kavalco — 2025-08-29

SCS208 Cronos is a new common bean cultivar, belonging to the black seed group, developed by the Agricultural Research and Rural Extension Company of Santa Catarina (Epagri). This cultivar exhibits high grain yield combined with stability and adaptability across the entire state of Santa Catarina. It features excellent plant health, particularly with resistance to anthracnose (Colletotrichum lindemuthianum), a disease that affects pods. The plants have a semi-erect architecture with an indeterminate growth habit, making them well-suited for mechanical harvesting. Its grains are typical of the black bean group, with a dull background and full elliptical shape. Cultivation is recommended throughout the southern region of Brazil during both the main and off-season crops.

Insect incidence and soybean yield under sustainable and conventional production systems in midwestern Santa Catarina

Cirio Parizotto — 2025-07-18

Brazil is the world’s largest soybean producer and exporter, a promising scenario that can last by adopting sustainable production systems that meet current consumer needs. This work compared the incidence of pest insects and natural enemies, the number of insecticide sprays and grain yield in soybean areas under sustainable and conventional production systems in midwestern Santa Catarina for the agricultural years of 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. The sustainable system adopted integrated pest management (IPM), with insecticide spray applied when pest population reached the economic threshold. As for the conventional system, pest management was achieved with prophylactic use of insecticides (sprays every 15 days). Pest insects and natural enemies were sampled weekly in both systems using a beat cloth from V4 to pre-harvest and yield was measured at physiological maturation. Incidence of Spodoptera spp. and stinkbugs was higher in the sustainable system for the 2018/19 and 2020/21 agricultural years; however, occurrence of natural enemies was also higher in three of the four agricultural years evaluated due to an 86% reduction in insecticide spray in the referred system. Yield under the sustainable system was similar or superior to the conventional system in three of the four agricultural years evaluated, showing that sustainable production systems with IPM adoption can provide satisfactory yields combined with less environmental impact.

Management of the Sigatoka disease complex in banana plant under two cultivation systems

André Boldrin Beltrame — 2025-07-18

The production of organic food has been increasing in recent years. However, there is lack of information to guide organic banana producers in Santa Catarina state. Among the demands is the control of Sigatoka disease complex (which comprises black and yellow Sigatokas). The management of this disease complex involves a combination of control measures to keep the severity of the disease at low levels. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the severity of the Sigatoka disease complex across six banana genotypes grown under two production systems. For that, banana genotypes were planted in two areas. In one area, chemical fertilizer and fungicides were applied, and in the other area, bioinputs and fertilizers that can be used in organic production were employed. The severity of the Sigatoka disease complex was evaluated every 20 days for three production cycles. The experiment was designed in a randomized block design with a 2 (systems of cultivation) × 6 factorial (cultivars) scheme, with three replications. Tetraploid banana hybrids showed lower disease severity. On the other hand, the cultivars SCS452 Corupá and SCS454 Carvoeira were the most susceptible ones. Plants that received anaerobic and organic fertilizers showed similar severity of Sigatoka compared to plants that received fungicides and chemical fertilizers.

Assessment of severity and incidence of powdery mildew in clusters of PIWI varieties and selections in São Joaquim, SC

Isadora Malohlava — 2025-08-29

Powdery mildew (Erysiphe necator) is one of the most serious and destructive diseases of grapes around the world and its occurrence has increased in the region of São Joaquim/SC. Although the application of chemical fungicides is the most common control method, using resistant varieties may be the most effective and environmentally sound strategy for managing the disease. This study aimed to characterize the incidence and severity of powdery mildew on grapevine clusters of nine varieties and two fungal disease-resistant selections (PIWI) in São Joaquim, SC, during the vintage 2020. The varieties studied were Aromera, Bronner, Felicia, Helios, Calardis Blanc, GF.2004-043-0024, GF.2004-043-0015 (white), Regent, Prior, Calandro and Baron (red). The incidence and severity of powdery mildew were evaluated in the vintage 2020. To investigate the impact of powdery mildew on the agronomic performance of the varieties, the cluster weight, number of berries per cluster, berry diameter, pH, soluble solids content and total acidity were analyzed in seasons 2019 (without natural occurrence of powdery mildew) and 2020 (with natural occurrence of powdery mildew). The varieties most affected by powdery mildew were Felicia, Bronner and Regent, which presented average susceptibility and incidence between 40 and 50%. The varieties that presented the lowest incidence and severity of powdery mildew were Baron, Prior, Calandro and Aromera. On average, the grapes produced in the vintage 2020 (with the occurrence of powdery mildew) presented lighter clusters, fewer berries per cluster and berries of smaller diameter compared to the grapes produced in 2019. Regardless of the vintage and occurrence of powdery mildew, all varieties produced grapes with ripening rates suitable for making quality wines.

Reference evapotranspiration for irrigation design and management in the Alto Vale do Itajaí Region, SC

Alvaro Back — 2025-08-29

The frequent droughts observed in recent decades have increased the demand for irrigation projects in the Alto Vale do Itajaí Region, SC. In this sense, this study aimed to determine the reference evapotranspiration (ETo) information that can guide irrigation design and management criteria in this region. Daily data from the Ituporanga meteorological station, for the period from 1985 to 2016, were used. Daily ETo was calculated by the Penman-Monteith method and later evaluated by pentads. The Normal, Log-Normal, Gamma, and Beta probability distributions were assessed, with adherence tested by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test at a significance level of 5%. The results show that the Beta distribution performed best. The average monthly ETo obtained from August to November presents values with a difference above 20% of the average values used in the region. For the serial water balance, the average values per pentad were presented, considering both dry and rainy days. The ETo values were presented with probabilities of 50%, 75%, 80%, 90% and 95%. The ETo values with 75% probability were 17 to 27% higher than the ETo values with 50% probability. For the dimensioning of irrigation systems and estimates of peak water demand, it is recommended to adopt the ETo values associated with probability levels according to the risk adopted in the project.

Yield, thrips damage and post-harvest losses of onion in NPK fertirrigation systems by drip and microsprinkler in no-till cultivation

Francisco Olmar Gervini de Menezes Junior — 2025-08-29

The efficient use of water and fertilizers have fundamental importance for agroecosystems. There is a need to consider this aspect in onion cultivation in order to rationalize these important agricultural inputs. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of the application of fertilizers (N, P, K), supplied conventionally (solid fertilizer), via drip and sprinkler fertigation, in relation to productivity, thrips damage and post-harvest storage of onion bulbs. The treatments were a conventional system (with solid fertilizers and sprinkler irrigation), three micro-sprinkler fertigation systems (with weekly, biweekly and monthly nutrient splitting via irrigation water) and one drip fertigation system (with monthly nutrient splitting).After two years of cultivation, it was concluded that the drip irrigation system was the most productive, economical (NPK) and reduced post-harvest losses. Micro-sprinkler fertigation systems were less productive and had greater post-harvest losses. Thrips damage may be greater in the conventional system due to the use of higher levels of phosphate fertilizer. There is a need to review the NPK fertilizer recommendation tables used for onion cultivation in the state of Santa Catarina because they overestimate the amounts of fertilizers by linearizing the relationship between nutrient supply and productivity.

Comparison of survival and quality of oysters (Crassostrea gigas) kept in a live mollusk display cabinet and in a refrigerator

Felipe Matarazzo Suplicy — 2025-08-29

The survival and physicochemical and microbiological quality of Crassostrea gigas oysters kept in a Live Shellfish Display (LSD) were evaluated in comparison to oysters kept under refrigeration. In the LSD, the oysters were kept exposed to air and continuously sprayed with salt water sterilized with ultraviolet light and cooled (from 10 to 16°C) in a recirculation system. Two experiments were performed in which 250 oysters remained for 28 days in the LSD and were compared with oysters kept in a refrigerator at 4°C. The moisture content of the oysters stored in the LSD was higher and the pH was slightly lower than that of the oysters kept in the refrigerator. The oysters kept in the LSD showed higher survival after 20 days of storage and lower counts of mesophiles and psychrotrophs. The results indicate that the LSD prolongs the life of the oysters and preserves their quality for human consumption for up to 20 days of storage.

50 anos de ciência, tecnologia e inovação em Santa Catarina

Reney Dorow — 2025-08-29

Para o diretor de Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação da Epagri, Reney Dorow, a pesquisa agropecuária tem um papel fundamental no desenvolvimento de Santa Catarina. Além de líder nacional na produção maçã, arroz irrigado e hortaliças, o Estado tem papel de destaque em várias áreas, como melhoramento vegetal, fruticultura, fitossanidade e engenharia rural. Leia na sessão conjuntura desta edição.

Dinâmica da produção de grãos no estado de Santa Catarina no período de 2014 a 2024

Gabriela Woiczack de Arruda — 2025-07-18

O setor agropecuário de Santa Catarina tem grande relevância social e econômica, mesmo com restrições territoriais que limitam a sua expansão. O estado se destaca na produção de grãos como arroz, milho, soja, feijão e trigo, os quais representam mais de 25% do valor da produção agropecuária estadual. Nos últimos dez anos, observou-se uma transformação significativa na dinâmica da produção de grãos. A área de cultivo do arroz manteve-se estável, mas a produtividade aumentou. O feijão e milho apresentaram redução expressiva na área cultivada na última década. O milho resultando no aumento da dependência de grãos de outros estados e países. Como resultado, a área total cultivada com grãos em Santa Catarina aumentou 289 mil hectares no período avaliado, refletindo mudanças no uso do solo e na estratégia produtiva dos agricultores. Destaca-se ainda o aumento do milho para silagem, impulsionado pelo crescimento da produção leiteira no estado. Além disso, a redução do cultivo de fumo contribuiu para a substituição por culturas anuais, acompanhando as novas dinâmicas do setor agrícola catarinense. Em contrapartida, a soja registrou a maior expansão, com crescimento de mais de 213 mil hectares em dez anos, tornando-se a principal cultura de grãos do estado. Esse avanço ocorreu sobre áreas anteriormente ocupadas por milho, feijão, pastagens e florestas plantadas, sendo impulsionado por sua alta demanda e menor custo de produção.

Citrus whiteflies and citrus blackfly

Eduardo Cesar Brugnara — 2025-07-18

Citrus trees are attacked by whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), a group of sap-sucking insects that extract the sap from leaves, impairing the growth and quality of fruits, mainly due to the development of sooty mold. The species found in Santa Catarina are the whiteflies Dialeurodes citri, Dialeurodes citrifolii, and Aleurothrixus floccosus, as well as the citrus blackfly Aleurocanthus woglumi. The nymphs and eggs of whiteflies are located on the underside of leaves. Integrated management includes promoting natural biological control through parasitoids, predators, and entomopathogenic fungi, in addition to cultural and chemical measures that, despite having temporary effects, are necessary during severe infestations. In Brazil, insecticides are registered for A. floccosus and A. woglumi. Citrus growers should monitor shooting periods to prevent population outbreaks and production losses.

Management to reduce finger dropping of bananas

Ricardo José Zimmermann de Negreiros — 2025-07-18

The finger-dropping of ripe bananas, or "threshing of bananas", causes the devaluation of the fruit, reducing its shelf life and useful life for the consumer. To generate information about this damage, it was evaluated the finger-dropping resistance of cultivars SCS454 Carvoeira (AAB triploid) and BRS Platina (AAAB tetraploid), as well as the influence of organic and traditional production systems on finger-dropping resistance. The triploid cultivar SCS454 Carvoeira was more resistant to the finger-dropping of ripe fruits than the tetraploid ‘BRS Platina’, and both were more resistant to dropping when cultivated in the conventional production system.

Effect of inoculation with plant growth-promoting bacteria and nitrogen fertilization rates on the initial growth of black oats

Janaína Muniz — 2025-07-18

Azospirillum and Pseudomonas are genera of soil bacteria that fix atmospheric nitrogen and can promote plant growth. The objective of this work was to evaluate the emergence rate and initial development of black oats using commercial inoculants based on A. brasilense and/or P. fluorescens under nitrogen fertilization doses. Two commercial inoculants were tested and applied at the time of sowing; after 20 days, nitrogen was applied at doses corresponding to 0, 50 and 100% of the recommended dose. After 40 days, the emergence rate, number of tillers and root, shoot and total dry biomass were evaluated. Nitrogen fertilization did not affect the variables and both inoculants promoted increases of over 90% in root, shoot and total dry biomass compared to the control. The inoculants containing A. brasilense in combination or not with P. fluorescens favor the emergence and initial growth of black oats, demonstrating its potential as a promising bio input for the crop.

Variation in the number of tuberous cassava roots as a function of air temperature and rainfall

Augusto Carlos Pola — 2025-08-29

Many factors can influence the number of storage roots per plant (NR) in cassava. In order to verify a possible influence of temperature and precipitation on variations recorded in the NR of cv. Prata, in a sandy soil, regression and linear correlation studies were carried out. A significant inverse correlation was observed between NR and total rainfall in the first three months after planting, and a strong correlation (R = ‒ 0.87) between NR and the total number of days with rainfall greater than 10 mm in the 45 to 85 days after planting (DAP) stage. This inverse relationship may be related to leaching of nutrients in the soil and/or decreased sunlight. Significant and negative correlations were also obtained between NR and average temperatures in October and November. The average maximum temperature of the first 40 DAP explained 53% of the variations in the number of tuberous roots (R = ‒ 0.73), possibly due to physiological stress caused by high air and soil temperatures or water deficiency. It is suggested that additional studies be carried out under controlled cultivation conditions to confirm the results presented. If these results were confirmed, the use of mulch, irrigation or additional fertilization after heavy rains may be management methods to be adopted.