{"id":251374,"date":"2018-01-12T13:28:59","date_gmt":"2018-01-12T15:28:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/?p=251374\/"},"modified":"2018-03-28T16:57:00","modified_gmt":"2018-03-28T19:57:00","slug":"more-resistant-sugarcane-fields","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/more-resistant-sugarcane-fields\/","title":{"rendered":"More resistant sugarcane fields"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Eduardo Cesar<\/span><\/a> Annually, the sugarcane borer causes an average loss of almost R$5 billion and compromises 521,000 hectares of sugarcane plantations in the countryEduardo Cesar<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Brazil is the world leader in sugarcane production, with 8.9 million hectares planted and an estimated harvest of 647 million metric tons this year. The only reason this number is not higher is the sugarcane borer, the larval phase of the moth Diatraea saccharalis<\/em>, the most common pest on sugarcane plantations. The annual losses generated by this insect in Brazil average almost R$5 billion plus the cost of control measures, and affect an average area of \u200b\u200b521,000 hectares. In an attempt to resolve this issue, the Sugarcane Technology Center (CTC), a Brazilian company located in Piracicaba, S\u00e3o Paulo State, developed a genetically modified sugarcane variety resistant to the pest. Named CTC 20 Bt, the variety was approved in June of this year by the Brazilian National Technical Biosafety Commission (CTNBio), the governing body responsible for assessing the biosafety of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Brazil.<\/p>\n

Antonio de Padua Rodrigues is the technical director of the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA), the members of which are responsible for more than half of Brazil\u2019s sugarcane production. He explains that the development of the CTC\u2019s genetically modified sugarcane reflects the technological advances of the Brazilian sugarcane industry. \u201cWith the definitive arrival of these genetically modified versions on the market, producers will have more profitable sugarcane plantations that will be more resistant to diseases and pests,\u201d UNICA declared in an official statement.<\/p>\n

Once approved by CTNBio, the genetically modified sugarcane will be introduced gradually, and the planted areas will be monitored. It will initially be sold only to selected producers mainly from the Central-Southern region of Brazil (to which this variety is better adapted), and these producers will commit to following standards for control and reproduction without industrialization. For two to three years, all of the sugarcane produced will be used as a seedling. \u201cWe will also develop genetically modified varieties for other regions and different soil types,\u201d says agricultural engineer William Lee Burnquist, director of Genetic Improvement at the CTC.<\/p>\n

The moth\u2019s life cycle begins when it lays its eggs on the leaves of the sugarcane plant. After they hatch, the larvae begin to eat the pulp of the culms (stems). The holes they make weaken the plant, which is then more easily blown over by the wind. This damage also leaves the plant more prone to attacks by fungi such as Colletotrichum falcatum<\/em> and Fusarium moniliforme. <\/em>These species cause red rot, a disease that reduces the purity of sugarcane juice and the quality of both the sugar and alcohol produced from the plant.<\/p>\n