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Research at SLC Agrícola

Technology and Information

The generation and adoption of information and new technologies has always been a differential in SLC Agrícola and it aims to monitor the evolution of agriculture, improving the agricultural practices and the productive performance of the cultivated areas, focusing on productive efficiency and the sustainability of natural resources. Technological advances success depends, in addition to supplies, on the constant technical improvement of the people, which sets up a scenario of professionalization of Brazilian agriculture with a view of the future of the agricultural business.

The generation of technology and information in private research areas is a differential in SLC Agrícola’s production process. For more than 30 years several topics related to agricultural crops and agronomic practices have been tested and studied in local and regional conditions The information generated is important to consolidate knowledge and to improve technologies that serve as the basis for the development and definition of an effective and assertive agricultural planning.

The history and evolution of research at SLC Agrícola

Since the acquisition of the first SLC Group Farms, there has been a need and desire to know and understand the behavior of crops in different regions of Brazil and their potential. In this context, the first experimental area was created at Fazenda Pamplona (GO) in 1988, which generated important information and expanded the concepts of agricultural experimentation to the company´s other units. Currently, the research areas are in 14 Farms, adding three decades of experience and continuous evolution. The information generated underpins the strategies for to prepare agricultural planning of the farms and guides the future strategies of the Company.

Evolution of the area destined to Research - Cultivation History

The Structure of the Research

Professionals involved

The research is inserted in the Agricultural Planning sector of the Production Area. The research is coordinated in the Midwest and Northeast regions by professionals based in the Headquarters of SLC Agrícola, in Porto Alegre (RS), who are responsible for planning, preparing, monitoring the activities and assessing the results.

At the Farms, it is executed and coordinated by the Research Coordinator and their assistants and the tabulation, processing, statistical analysis and generation of technical reports are carried out by analysts based in the Headquarters, in Porto Alegre (RS).

In total, 50 professionals are part of the team, 40 at the Farms, among coordinators and assistants and 10 professionals, among analysts, specialists, masters and doctors in the corporate structure. SLC Agrícola’s research also has internship opportunities for agricultural technicians and Agronomy students.

Units

The research areas are distributed in 14 production units of SLC Agrícola. The physical area of crop trials conducted in 2021/22 crop was 1,631 hectares for a total of more than 400 trials.

Get to know the location of each research unit and the main information:

Experiments in 2021/22

In the 2021/22 crop, 468 experiments were installed with the following distribution on the Farms:

Main crops studied

In addition to cotton, corn and soybeans, there are also experiments with other crops, such as sorghum, wheat, beans and cover crops such as millet, brachiaria, crotalaria, etc.

For the continuous evaluation of new possibilities is crucial in the search for crop diversification and rotation and soil and environment quality.

Key experiments

Among the evaluated and studied topics in the areas, greater emphasis is given to experiments that compare the performance of soybean, corn and cotton genotypes in different spacing, population, planting dates, biotechnologies, as well as experiments with soil fertility and nutrition, soil management and cover crops, fungicides, insecticides, herbicides, inoculants, nematicides, precision agriculture etc.

Long-term experiments

Soil management and cover crops

First experiment installed in SLC Agrícola in 1992 at Pamplona Farm (GO) with 26 years of execution. Also conducted on other Farms.

Soil management and phosphorus profile correction

Experiment conducted in Pamplona Farm (GO) from 2007 to 2013 with 6 years of execution. Also conducted on other Farms.

Evolution of soil organic matter in sandy soils

This experiment is being conducted at Panorama (BA), Palmares (BA), Parnaguá (PI) and Parnaíba Farm (MA) started since 2017, with a forecast of 15 years of execution.

Annual experiments

Soybean genotypes

Annual experiments comparing the performance of varieties and biotechnologies since 1992.

Conventional, RR,

I2X, Intacta2, Xtend,

Conkesta, LL, etc.

Corn hybrids

Annual experiments comparing the performance of hybrids and biotechnologies since 1989.

Conventional, PRO, PRO2,

PRO3, Herculex, Viptera,

YieldGard, Leptra, etc.

Cotton genotypes

Annual experiments comparing the performance of varieties and biotechnologies since 1998.

Conventional, RR, LL,

B2RF, B3RF, WS3, RF,

RX, TN, GL, GLT, GLTP, etc.

Productive potential of crops

Results obtained in experimental areas and commercial crops in several regions of Brazil show that the productive potential of most significant crops such as soybeans, corn and cotton is still a goal to be achieved in order to increase the country’s average productivity. The results obtained in the research areas of SLC Agrícola also challenge commercial crops and indicate the productive potential of the crops in each region where the Farms are located.

Relevant results obtained in the research

The results obtained in SLC Agrícola research areas also challenge the commercial crops and indicate the productive potential of crops in each region where the farms are located.

Corn hybrids 2nd crop

The weather conditions with rainfall above 1,300 mm per annum allows it to be grown in the same harvest year that the soybean + corn 2nd crop duo in the state of Maranhão with satisfactory yields on commercial crops, generating greater efficiency and profitability of the crop.

Cover crops and improved soil quality

The production of cover crops in order to improve the organic material supply and soil protection has shown positive effects on the chemical, physical and biological soil properties and in the development of the succeeding crop.

Maintaining husks as ground cover has been instrumental to implement direct planting  successfully and minimize the soil management with plowing, thus ensuring greater sustainability of crops in the long run.