Mixtures of Pesticides in Tank, in Brazilian Farms

The weed, pest and disease infestation, often occur simultaneously in a farm. In such a situation, the most economical alternative to control and, therefore, the more commonly adopted by the producers is the pesticide spray mixture in the tank. In this study, field practices adopted by farmers related to mixtures of pesticides in tank in Brazilian farms are described and quantified. To obtain such information, a questionnaire was developed and implemented with the professionals in different regions of the country. It was found that 97% of respondents use tank mixtures and most of the time 95% using 2-5 products. Most often using the highest recommended doses. The applications of glyphosate in soybean are carried out simultaneously with insecticides, fungicides and other herbicides, in 86% of the times. Most respondents (72%) reported not knowing about the tank mix prectices and 99% indicated interest in receiving such data. Whereas the tank in pesticide mixture is common practice among farmers and that this practice has its advantages and disadvantages, it is concluded that the issue should be discussed urgently by government agencies and by other segments of the soybean production chain.