The Santa Fé system, developed by Embrapa Rice and Beans, is a very valuable tool for getting good straw residues. Starting from the intercropping of annual and forage crops, with emphasis on the brachiarias, Santa Fé’s objective is the production of straw for the direct drilling system or for the production of forages in between crop harvests.

As such, the system would allow for the cultivation of more than 10 million hectares throughout the entire year, which are actually only planted in summer for grains. Embrapa estimates that, with the recuperation of degraded pastures using crop-livestock integration, more than 20 million hectares could be incorporated into the Country’s grain production system without opening up new areas.

Ricardo Merola, owner of the Santa Fé farm in Santa Helena de Goiás (GO), is a pioneer in the use of the system. In reality, the system was created by Embrapa Rice and Beans as a result of a need from Santa Fé farm, where direct drilling technology had already been practiced for a considerable time with rotations of maize, soybean, sorghum and black beans.

Merola explained that; “During the continual cropping of beans we noted the high incidence of soil fungi. We then found that Brachiaria brizantha was capable of reducing the incidence and we decided to conduct tests using the forage with maize to see if the brachiaria would not compete. The result was positive”.

For farmers who worry about establishing a crop rotation programme, planting maize in rotation with soybean in varying proportions of their land, the intercropping of a brachiaria with maize is an excellent alternative. As the maize is harvested later and, soon after harvest, the established grass develops very quickly, an optimal dry cover results, which can also be used for pasture. In the same way, for areas where one intends to exploit maize in the late rainy season, intercropping with a brachiaria can be advantageous as additional straw production is obtained together with the maize, which in turn becomes an excellent base for the next summer planting.

According to Merola, another advantage of the Santa Fé system is in brachiaria’s capacity to eliminate broad-leaved weeds, reducing the use of post-emergence herbicides. Also, he affirms that the brachiaria provides a sub-soiling and nutrient translocation service, which brings nutrients closer to the soil surface.

The Santa Fé system, since its creation in 1993, is being perfected by Embrapa, and today presents the best way to obtain straw in the soil, mainly because the brachiaria straw is more durable. Ideally, farmers should use the system every two years to obtain the benefits of the technology.

^[i] Embrapa Arroz e Feijão. Rodovia Goiânia- Nova Veneza, Km 12, Caixa Postal 179, Santo Antônio de Goiás - GO, CEP 75375-000, Brazil.