Bio-inputs expand management strategies in soybean production.

Bio-inputs are gaining ground in the production of soy These products are seen as complementary tools to conventional pest and disease management, with the potential to reduce the use of synthetic products and expand the alternatives available to producers. This analysis comes from Gabriel Medina, a professor at the University of Brasília, based on a study that characterizes the commercial portfolio of biological products available for the crop in Brazil.

The study compiled information from labels and technical recommendations, interviews with company representatives, and a review of the scientific literature on the effectiveness of these technologies. The results indicate a wide range of inoculants, biofungicides, bioinsecticides, and bionematicides formulated from bacteria, fungi, viruses, and macro-organisms.

Among the different categories, inoculants and bionematicides show the greatest potential for replacing synthetic inputs. Biofungicides appear mainly in the first applications, while bioinsecticides are frequently used in combination with chemical products.

The scientific review also shows differences in performance depending on the target. Some commercial biofungicides achieved control of up to 80% of white mold. For foliar diseases, such as target spot, efficacy reached 40%. Products based on Bacillus thuringiensis and viruses showed high efficiency against caterpillars.

In tests with nematodes, bionematicides were evaluated against M. javanica, P. zeae, and M. exigua, and in some cases, they showed superior efficacy compared to chemical products. The study also addresses biological foliar nitrogen fixation, highlighting that a commercial strain of Methylobacterium symbioticum does not possess the complete genetic apparatus of nitrogenase, although it exhibits a growth-promoting effect.

Brazilian experience indicates that bio-inputs are already integrated into commercial soybean systems and can contribute to more diversified management strategies and to agriculture with less dependence on synthetic inputs.