With the end of the 2025\/26 harvest and the beginning of planning for the next cycle, technicians and specialists are once again drawing attention to a problem that has gained ground in different soybean-producing regions: the excessive vegetative growth of the plants.<\/p>\n
Although often associated only with lodging, the problem goes beyond fallen plants in the field and can cause significant yield losses even in areas where visual damage is not so evident.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nPhoto: Caio In\u00e1cio<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
This phenomenon is usually linked to a combination of high soil fertility, larger cultivars, and high investment in management and cultivation practices. Instead of converting energy into pod and grain production, the plant begins to direct a significant portion of its metabolism towards vegetative growth.<\/p>\n
Preliminary estimates indicate that areas with severe lodging can register productivity losses of up to 62%. Currently, approximately 30% of Brazilian producers report lodging occurring in their soybean fields.<\/p>\n
In addition to the direct loss of pods in contact with the soil and the operational difficulties during harvesting, experts warn of less noticeable but equally relevant physiological impacts on crop yield.<\/p>\n
Excessive growth alters plant architecture.<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n Agricultural engineer Vin\u00edcius Marangoni: "The crop ends up wasting energy unnecessarily on vegetative growth, failing to allocate resources to reproductive development, producing nodes, pods, and grains."<\/p>\n<\/div>\n According to agricultural engineer Vin\u00edcius Marangoni, excessive growth modifies the architecture of the soybean plant and compromises its physiological balance. "The crop ends up wasting energy unnecessarily on vegetative growth, failing to allocate resources to reproductive development, producing nodes, pods, and grains," he states.<\/p>\n According to Marangoni, this excessive growth also favors excessive canopy closure, reducing light penetration to the lower parts of the plant. \u201cIt\u2019s common for unregulated crops to have a more closed canopy, which prevents light from reaching the lower parts, hinders the penetration of pesticides, and creates a microclimate favorable to the development of diseases. The sum of these factors often causes pod drop and worsens yield losses,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n The problem gains relevance given the scale of the crop in the country. According to the National Supply Company (Conab), the planted area of soybeans in Brazil in the 2025\/26 crop season should reach approximately 48.9 million hectares.<\/p>\n With profit margins becoming increasingly sensitive to fluctuations in productivity, management failures that interfere with the productive potential of plants are beginning to have a direct impact on the economic outcome of the harvest.<\/p>\n Experts argue that controlling vegetative growth needs to begin during crop planning, paying attention to cultivar selection, plant population, and nutritional balance.<\/p>\n Photo: Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The adoption of growth regulators also appears among the strategies used to maintain a more balanced plant architecture. \u201cIt is fundamental that the producer evaluates the history of the areas and considers strategies that contribute to maintaining a balanced plant architecture, such as the use of growth regulators. This type of technology has the potential not only to avoid losses, but also to optimize crop physiology and allow it to better express its productive potential,\u201d emphasizes Marangoni.<\/p>\n The technical assessment is that the challenge for the next harvest will not only be in investing in technology and fertility, but mainly in finding a balance between vegetative vigor and productive efficiency within the crops.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/opresenterural.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Vinicius-Marangoni.jpg?resize=238%2C238&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\nManagement begins before planting.<\/b><\/h4>\n
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<\/p>\nTHE Bela Cereais<\/strong> works with the best grains on the market and also keeps you up to date with the latest news and analyses on agribusiness.
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