Uso dos serviços de polinização e do controle biológico no manejo integrado de pragas e doenças como proposta de manejo sustentável da soja

Abstract

Brazil is the world's largest producer and exporter of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill), with an estimated production of 166 million tons, occupying approximately 47 million hectares. Although considered a self-pollinating species, several soybean cultivars show increased productivity when pollinated by bees. This study was conducted in two areas: the first located in the municipality of Piracicaba, São Paulo, at the Esalq-USP Experimental Station, and the second located in the municipality of Capão Bonito, São Paulo, on a private property, during the 2021/22, 2022/23, and 2023/24 harvests. The objective was to evaluate the impact of Apis mellifera bee visits to soybean flowers, providing supplemental pollination, and biological management with products from the Koppert Integrated System on soybean productivity. Four treatments were tested: a) pest control without bees (CONTROL); b) pest control plus bees (CONTROL+BEE); c) biological management plus bees (SIK+BEE); and d) biological management without bees (SIK), with six replicates, represented by transects drawn from a specific hive located on the crop border or from a specific point (in the case of the treatment without bees). In each of these transects, points were distributed according to the distance from the zero point, positioned at 12.5 m, 25 m, 50 m, 100 m, and 200 m. In the case of Capão Bonito, the first distance was 25 m, because it is a crop irrigated via a central pivot, where the entire experimental area was subject to irrigation. Each experimental plot consisted of eight soybean rows, 6 m long, totaling 120 plots in the first area (Piracicaba) and 96 plots in the second area (Capão Bonito). The cultivars sown were BRS 7380 RR and BrasMax Zeus 55I57RSF, respectively. During crop flowering, bee visitation was assessed in the experimental plots in each replicate. After harvesting the plots, the data were subjected to statistical analysis to evaluate the crop yield components in the four treatments. The results revealed that bee pollination significantly increased soybean productivity compared to treatments without bees. Furthermore, bee visitation also increased, highlighting the effectiveness of biological management and the positive impact of proximity to the hive.