Soybean productivity and profitability are constantly challenged by diseases that affect crops at different stages of the crop cycle. To ensure effective management, integrating operational and technical strategies is essential, as highlighted by Ricardo Balardin, agronomist, PhD, and CSO of DigiFarmz, an agricultural technology company.
According to Balardin, controlling soybean diseases is not just about choosing the right products or monitoring the crop. "Climatic factors, cultivar selection, and sowing time can be as decisive as the control measures adopted," he states. Highly productive cultivars, for example, tend to have lower resilience, which can increase their susceptibility to diseases.
In recent years, the adoption of technological practices has become increasingly common but has also driven up production costs. This increase has led growers to prioritize operational and managerial aspects, often at the expense of technical considerations, which can compromise disease control effectiveness and crop profitability.
Among the main foliar diseases affecting soybeans are:
✅Anthracnose (Colletotrichum truncatum): Can cause losses of up to 100%, directly impacting plant population, seed quality, and grain yield. The fungus thrives under prolonged leaf wetness and temperatures between 64 and 77°F (18 to 25°C).
✅Frogeye Leaf Spot (Cercospora kikuchii): Can reduce grain yield by up to 15% and compromise seed germination. The fungus spreads through infected seeds and crop residues and is favored by high humidity and elevated temperatures.
✅Target Spot (Corynespora cassiicola): Responsible for yield losses ranging from 18% to 32%, affecting leaves, stems, pods, and seeds. Its incidence is related to high relative humidity and the use of susceptible cultivars.
✅Brown Spot (Septoria glycines): Widespread in Brazil, it can reduce yields by 8% to 15% in susceptible cultivars. High humidity conditions favor the fungus, while wind and sporulation during dry periods contribute to its spread.
Given this scenario, the ideal strategy for soybean disease management lies in the balanced adoption of operational and technical measures. "To maximize profitability, it is essential to integrate best management practices with decisions based on technical data and specific field conditions. Today, this is made possible with precision through advanced technology," Balardin concludes.
Currently, technology plays a fundamental role in decision-making for soybean disease management. DigiFarmz, a leading provider of digital solutions for agribusiness, stands out for offering innovative functionalities that combine over 20 years of field and greenhouse research conducted in South and North America. The platform analyzes more than 50 parameters, including diseases, weeds, nematodes, genetics, and real-time climate conditions, generating customized recommendations for each field.
These data are transformed into practical agronomic insights, empowering farmers, agronomists, and agricultural distributors to optimize their strategies, increasing productivity, profitability, and sustainability. Adaptable to the reality of any farm, regardless of location, DigiFarmz enables more informed and precise decision-making, ensuring greater efficiency in agricultural management.
Smart solutions already available on the market, such as DigiFarmz Cropper and DigiFarmz Linkage, expand these possibilities by offering advanced tools for phytosanitary and operational management. Additionally, DigiFarmz provides other solutions through its free app, available in Portuguese, English, and Spanish for Android and iOS devices.