Epagri application supports banana farmers in the south of Santa Catarina in controlling yellow Sigatoka
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Epagri application supports banana farmers in the south of Santa Catarina in controlling yellow Sigatoka
Epagri has made the SigBanana app available for free download on Google Play. Just click here To download the tool in mobile phones with the Android operating system. It was developed to assist in the management of banana yellow Sigatoka, based on climatic variables.
Yellow Sigatoka is a prevalent disease in the south of Santa Catarina, what, if not controlled, can significantly reduce productivity of bananas, as well as compromising the quality of the fruits. Chemical management is the main method of controlling the disease, but, if it is not carried out with discretion, may not be effective, resulting in environmental risks and financial losses.
To assist the farmer in this chemical management, Sigbanana uses air temperature measurements and leaf wet weather stations, to indicate whether or not the environment is favorable to the development of the disease. The user enters the desired date and the weather station closest to their orchard into the application and the tool issues an alert about the need to apply fungicide or not..
How to use
The user will be able to choose between one of the seven weather stations available in the application. The equipment is part of the environmental monitoring network managed by Epagri/Ciram and measures and sends environmental variables automatically., without human intervention. Before entering the institution's database, in Florianópolis, variables are qualified by computers, which guarantees their quality when used in the application.
The application was developed by researchers at Epagri Experimental Stations in Urussanga and Itajaí, with support from the Epagri/Ciram information technology sector and financing from Fapesc. These professionals prepare a folder - who can be downloaded herei – which explains step by step how to use the tool. Doubts can be resolved with the researcher Mauro Ferreira Bonfim Junior, by email maurojunior@epagri.sc.gov.br.
Banana in SC
Santa Catarina is the fourth largest producer and largest exporter of bananas in Brazil. Nearly 4 One thousand farming families in Santa Catarina have banana farming as their main economic activity.
According to data from Epagri/Cepa, published not Santa Catarina Agro Observatory, Santa Catarina should produce 763,589t of bananas in the harvest 2024/25. The South Coast is the second largest producing region in the State, with an estimated production of 126,292t in the harvest 2024/25.
With information from Epagri
