PlanejArroz

Management planning and productivity estimation in irrigated rice

The State of Rio Grande do Sul is the largest rice producer in Brazil, accounting for about 70% of the production of this cereal. Although the average levels of productivity are relatively high, it is believed that this productivity may be even higher if the management practices are carried out at the most appropriate time, considering the date of occurrence of the different stages of development of the plant (EDP), as recommended by the South Brazilian Irrigated Rice Society.

The problem is that EDP, especially panicle differentiation, is very variable because it is dependent on temperature. For this reason, it is preferable to express this stage and the other EDP in days, but estimated through degrees-day (GD), or thermal sum, instead of the number of days in the calendar.

In addition to the management, the sowing time, as well as the cultivar cycle, can also have great interference in the productivity of the crop, and the process simulation models can estimate this productivity at different times and producing regions. It was based on this information that the PlanoArroz software was developed.

This application allows access to a set of information from 131 municipalities producing irrigated rice in Rio Grande do Sul. It indicates when each of the six most important EDP should occur, for 41 cultivars, through the average dates (30 years) and of the crop year, and the respective deviations between them. This information is very important for planning and making decisions about crop management. In addition, PlanosArroz also allows the estimation of productivity, in the average of the years and in the harvest, and the deviation between these two variables, of the three most sown cultivars in the state.