Desarrollo de un método para evaluar el daño ocasionado por aves en cultivos comerciales de soja recién emergida

Abstract

Soybean (Glycine max) cultivation is one of the main commodities in South America. Some bird species can consume the cotyledons of soybean seedlings newly emerged, causing crop damage. In order to have accurate estimates of the bird damage in sprouting soybean, we developed an assessment method assuming a gradient of damage based on the distance from the crop to a patch of trees used as shelter by birds. Based on the mean, standard deviation, confidence interval and data variance, obtained in six soybean fields located in western Uruguay, we determined a sampling design and optimal sample size to minimize the effort and time evaluation, maintaining a high level of accuracy. We subsequently applied this methodology on eight soybean fields. The damage near trees was between 10 and 50% while in the rest of the field was between 1 and 5%. The proposed method provides objective information on losses occurred, constituting a useful tool for decision making at farm level.