Brazil offers sustainable solutions through biological product partnership

This story is also available in Português below.

Brazil is the largest soy producer in the world. It is estimated that for the 2021/22 harvest, Brazilian producers will sow around 40 million hectares of grain, an increase of 2.3 percent compared to the previous cycle and the largest ever according to a survey by Safras & Mercado consultancy.

In this scenario of intensive production, avoiding losses and guaranteeing productivity is a key agricultural management concern. That's why Nutrien Soluções Agrícolas' new partnership with Plant Health Care, a leading global supplier of biological products, is good news for the industry. The two companies have joined forces to add Saori – a biological soy seed treatment product that provides a more sustainable option for farmers – to Nutrien's product portfolio, and broaden our biological offerings. Demand for innovation in biologicals – products derived from naturally occurring materials – is increasing rapidly as growers seek to meet the challenges of feeding a growing population using more sustainable growing practices and products.

Saori helps control Asian soybean rust – a devastating disease that can damage up to 90 percent of the crop, and make plants resistant to other crop protection measures. The product will be marketed under the Loveland brand and is an important step towards consolidating our strategy of positioning Nutrien as a leader in the ag market with more sustainable and innovative solutions.

"As a farmer-focused organization, we recognize the importance of offering a range of tools to help our customers protect their crops efficiently and sustainably, to help prevent resistance to pest and disease chemicals," says Flavia Teixeira, Product Manager of Biologicals in Latin America. "That's part of the reason we've launched our biological products strategy in Brazil. We're starting with soybeans, but the goal is to increase the catalogue of biological products marketed by Loveland further in the coming years."

Nutrien is on track to provide seed treatment to more than 400 farmers in Brazil in the 2021-22 harvest market, including both, our new Saori line and conventional synthetic seed treatments offered by our Sementes Goiás business.

Innovative technology in seed protection

Saori is fueled by PREtec peptides – a new class of crop protection technology that encourages plants to defend themselves. Derived from natural proteins, PREtec is an environmentally sound approach to protecting crops and is compatible with conventional agricultural practices.

Saori is the first product from Plant Health Care's PREtec's platform to be marketed, and is the first PREtec peptide approved in Brazil. Its technology makes soy plants healthier, improves disease resistance and increases yield. It was approved for sale in January 2021 after just 12 months of government regulatory review, based on its effectiveness and sustainability profile.

Nutrien is piloting Saori in 2021-22with several major Brazilian soybean producers, but it's expected to be widely adopted in the 2022/23 harvest and beyond.

This is exactly these types of sustainable and innovative technologies that Nutrien looks forward to bringing to market as part of its broader biological products strategy.

"Working alongside relevant partners in the market, such as Plant Health Care, strengthens the commitment to offer a broad portfolio, providing producers with a complete platform of solutions to raise yields and increase results in the field," says Flavia.