Dry weather and a 90-day moratorium on soyabean planting during winter months in Brazil's Mato Grosso state has practically eradicated Asian soya rust in the central-western state, an independent consultant said.
The disease appeared in Brazil in 2001 and has spread to nearly all soya producing regions in the country. It can destroy up to 80 percent of a crop if left uncontrolled.
The expected sharp reduction of the fungus in Mato Grosso this season should trim the producers' need to spray fungicide to combat the rust to three times per season compared with an average of five times per season in the past few years.
"Practically, we did not find any (rust), it was almost nothing compared with previous years," Jose Tadashi, an independent soya rust expert and consultant, told Reuters by telephone late on Wednesday after a tour of Mato Grosso. He travelled together with specialists from the state's sanitary defence institute to check planting conditions.
Brazil is the world's No 2 soya producer and exporter. The 2007/08 crop, which just started to be planted, is expected to reach a record of up to 61.3 million tonnes, the agriculture ministry said on Thursday.
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