The advancement of wheat cultivation in the Cerrado

Wheat cultivation has proven to be a great alternative for Cerrado producers as it allows the implementation of a sustainable cultivation system, in addition to providing profitability and cost dilution. In recent years, cultivation in warm regions has shown very significant growth. In 2019, more than 135 thousand ha of wheat were sown in Central Brazil (Minas Gerais, Federal District and Goiás municipalities), with emphasis on the state of Goiás, which in 2018 had 14 thousand ha and in 2019 reached 42 thousand ha according to a survey of CONAB 2019. This advance is possible thanks to management and technological gains with adapted cultivars with a higher level of resistance to difficult-to-control diseases, such as Blasone. Local climatic conditions, such as the low occurrence of rainfall during the reproductive phase, discourage the entry of diseases such as FHB.

Crop rotation is very important in all regions, and in the Cerrado it is no different. Wheat is an option capable of providing greater straw coverage, in addition to the possibility of diversifying the use of active ingredients used to control weeds, pests and diseases.

Wheat produced in these warmer regions is also recognized as being of high industrial quality, especially from cultivars classified as bread/improver.

Another advantage of Cerrado wheat is the harvest period, which takes place in a window where the mills are normally out of supply. As its sowing time is earlier when compared to the main producing regions in South America, it becomes more competitive in the market. Furthermore, they are closer to large consumer centers, especially in the case of Minas Gerais.

In these regions, wheat has been produced in an irrigated and rainfed system. In irrigation areas, area growth is slower due to the great competition with crops with higher added value. However, productivity draws attention. It is very common to harvest more than 100 bags per hectare in the irrigated system, making its productivity considered one of the highest for the crop in the country.

Dryland wheat has been gaining important space, due to the large number of idle areas in this region. In addition to all the agronomic benefits, it gives the opportunity to seek greater profitability, as costs are lower.

The challenge is the sowing period, as most areas occur in March. At this time, the humidity at the end of the rainy window that usually ends in April is taken advantage of, however, with perfect conditions for the occurrence of one of the most aggressive diseases of wheat crops, Brusone. Research is gradually advancing and some breeding programs have brought safer options in relation to the level of resistance to diseases. The important thing in the rainfed system is that the farmer chooses cultivars that can face this challenge, providing the security of harvesting wheat in years with or without epidemics.