EN 
PT_BR 
More than 550 participants, including researchers, technicians, producers, professors, students and representatives of companies linked to agribusiness, attended the 18th National Seminar on Second Crop Corn, an event that began on Tuesday morning (09) at the Governador Ney Braga Exhibition Park, in Londrina.
Over three days, they will cover an extensive program that will cover emerging technologies, soil management, more efficient and sustainable cereal cultivation systems, the use of drones, bioinputs, and phytosanitary challenges such as stunting, viruses, and diseases that impact crop performance. "In Brazil, of the 115 million tons produced on 21 million hectares in the 2023/2024 harvest, more than 80% of the total comes from the second crop," stated Vania Moda Cirino, director of research and innovation at IDR-Paraná (Rural Development Institute of Paraná — Iapar-Emater), at the event's opening ceremony.
Second-crop corn cultivation accounts for approximately 40% of the wealth generated by Paraná's agribusiness sector, playing a key role in feeding the pork, beef, poultry, and fish production chains. In Paraná, the second crop accounts for 86% of the state's corn production.
For the director, increasing second-crop corn productivity is a challenge. "It's possible to increase it with the development of cultivars, crop management techniques, soil and water management, and disease and pest control," she stated.
The final day of the meeting will be entirely dedicated to delving into the most sensitive crop issues in the area of plant health, such as disease control and management, virus diagnosis and preventive strategies in the field, new methodologies, and strategies for strengthening technical cooperation networks. "This meeting is a national benchmark for the exchange of knowledge and innovations about second-crop corn, a space for interaction and experience sharing, demonstrations of innovative technologies, and discussions on strategies for improving the production chain," said Ivan Bordin, a researcher at IDR-Paraná and general coordinator of the event.
Event
The 18th National Seminar on Second-Crop Corn is organized by IDR-Paraná in partnership with ABMS (Brazilian Association of Corn and Sorghum, a national civil entity that brings together professionals interested in improving these crops), Crea-PR (Regional Council of Engineering and Agronomy) and the Association of Agricultural Engineers of Londrina, with financial support from the Araucária Foundation and sponsoring companies.
