Brazilian BP Bunge Bioenergia will extend the use of biofertilizers to all its sugar cane fields

Brazilian sugar cane will receive a boost from biological fertilizers. This is what the company BP Bunge Bioenergia from São Paulo is looking for, which announced that it is expanding the use of bio-fertilizers and biological pest control. The objective is to help the plant to reach its maximum genetic potential, reducing the risk of losses and reaching higher yields.   

The biofertilizer Azospirillum brasilense, widely used in corn crops, is among the options adopted. The bacterium accelerates sugarcane development, prevents nutritional stress and diseases, and reduces climate impact. In doing so, the company seeks to increase sugarcane field yields (measured in tons of sugar per hectare) and save costs with nitrogen fertilizers.

The substance was tested on 37,000 hectares in the 2020/21 campaign and, according to BP Bunge, the results were positive. Thus, the biofertilizer will be applied to all the production expected to be harvested in 2022/2023, according to the firm which is a joint venture between the agricultural Bunge and the energy firm BP, to produce ethanol, from sugar.

“Los buenos niveles de productividad requieren inversiones que van más allá de lo básico en el cuidado de los cultivos, y esto implica innovación, investigación y tecnología. La alta productividad es el resultado de la combinación de una buena fertilización con el control de plagas y otras herramientas, como los bioestimulantes”, dice el director agrícola de BP Bunge Bioenergia, Rogério Bremm.

Also focused on reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the company has incorporated new biological control technologies to the field management. One example is the use of drones to apply the larvae of the Cotesia flavipes wasp, which feeds on the sugarcane borer.

According to the company, aerial distribution, which follows geo-referenced planning to achieve the greatest efficiency in localization, has generated results. One of them is the reduction of the distribution time of the biological agent, which can vary from 15% to 20% in relation to the manual system.

“Los drones han ido ganando cada vez más funcionalidad en el mantenimiento de los cultivos. La lucha contra las plagas es una de ellas. En el proceso diario de evolución de la gestión del campo, la tecnología desempeña sin duda un papel esencial, mejorando la productividad, la calidad, promoviendo el ahorro de recursos financieros y medioambientales”, valora Rogério Bremm.

With 11 units located in the Southeast, North and Midwest regions of Brazil, and over 10,000 employees, BP Bunge Bioenergia has an annual crushing capacity of 32 million tons of sugarcane. In addition, it is capable of producing over 1.5 billion liters of ethanol, 1.1 million tons of sugar and exporting 1,200 GWh of energy to the Brazilian power grid.