​How to choose the right variety for the reality of wheat farming

The current and potential Brazilian wheat regions are the South region, Central-South region and Central region, represented by the Brazilian Cerrado. The South and Center-South regions, covering approximately two million hectares (ha), are considered traditional wheat growing areas and represent approximately 95% of the currently cultivated area and, consequently, of Brazilian wheat production. In this region there are soils with and without aluminum, with the climate classified as temperate to subtropical, with less frequent and less uniform rains in Paraná and with more abundant precipitation in Rio Grande do Sul, during the wheat growing season. In general, due to the drier environmental conditions in Paraná, wheat genotypes cultivated in this State have shown better technological suitability for breadmaking, when compared to the same cultivars produced in the southern wheat-growing region.

As Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul traditionally account for more than 90% of national wheat production, good production in these states is important for Brazil to reduce its dependence on imports. Paraná, until 2011, represented more than 50% of the area and wheat production in Brazil. With the increase in the area with second harvest corn, called safrinha corn, which reached approximately two million hectares in Paraná, this State had an area reduction of around 26% in 2012, losing its status as the largest producer of the country (data from the National Supply Company, Conab). This reduction in area was mainly due to the increase in off-season corn in the western region of the State.

In 2014, the planted area in Paraná should reach 1,2 million hectares, an increase of approximately 20% compared to last year. The information comes from the 2013/2014 grain harvest report from the Department of Rural Economy (Deral) of the Secretariat of Agriculture and Supply. If the area is confirmed, under normal climatic conditions, the harvest could reach a record of 3,5 million tons, which would give Paraná the status of largest national producer, a title lost in 2013 to Rio Grande do Sul, when the harvest Paraná totaled 1,8 million tons devastated by frost.

In Rio Grande do Sul, the planted area in 2013 was 1.059.232 hectares, with an average yield of 3.060kg/ha, resulting in the production of 3.351.655 tons, the largest harvest in the history of gaucho wheat, once again being the “ national granary" for wheat cultivation. For 2014, estimates point to a 10% increase in the area to be sown, which represents a projection of 1.160.000 hectares of wheat for 2014. Considering the same productivity as in 2013, Rio Grande do Sul will be able to remain the largest wheat producer with production of 3.550.000 tons.

Registered cultivars

For a wheat cultivar to be commercialized, charge royalties, and be sown on Brazilian soil, it must be registered in the National Cultivar Registry of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (RNC-Mapa) and in the National Wheat Protection System. Cultivars from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (SNPC-Mapa). More detailed information about the registration and protection of cultivars can be found at: http://www.agricultura.gov.br/vegetal/registros-autorizacoes/registro/registro-nacional-cultivares and

http://www.agricultura.gov.br/vegetal/registros-autorizacoes/protecao-cultivares/formularios-protecao-cultivares.

Figure 1 shows the homogeneous regions of adaptation of wheat cultivars, used for the purpose of indicating cultivars in the Agricultural Climate Risk Zoning of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply and for carrying out Cultivation Value and Use (VCU) tests. of wheat for the states considered.

Figure 1 - Homogeneous adaptation regions of wheat cultivars in Brazil

TECHNOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION

For the commercialization of wheat, it is necessary to classify the cultivars recommended for cultivation in Brazil into commercial classes as shown in Table 1.

Table 1 - Classes of Group II wheat intended for milling and other purposes

Classes	Gluten Strength (Minimum value expressed as 10-4 J)		Stability (Time expressed in minutes)	Drop Number (Minimum value expressed in seconds)
breeder	300	e	14	250
.	220	ou	10	220
Domestic	160	ou	6	220
Basic	100	ou	3	200
Other Uses	Any		Any	Any

Classes

Gluten Strength

(Minimum value expressed as 10-4 J)

Stability

(Time expressed in minutes)

Drop Number

(Minimum value expressed in seconds)

breeder

300

e

14

250

.

220

ou

10

220

Domestic

160

ou

6

220

Basic

100

ou

3

200

Other Uses

Any

Any

Any

Source: Normative Instruction N^o 38, of November 30, 2010, of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, published in the Official Gazette of the Union of December 1, 2010.

WHEAT CULTIVARS IN USE IN BRAZIL

If the cultivars known as “old” had rusticity (adaptation and general resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses) as a prominent characteristic associated with good resistance to blight, they also had negative points such as high size and low grain yield potential. On the other hand, wheat cultivars known as “modern” are, in general, shorter in size and, therefore, have shown a great reduction in the incidence of lodging when grown in more fertile soils with higher doses of nitrogen fertilizers. The addition of new genes for resistance to diseases, pests and stress caused by the adverse environment has provided a substantial increase in grain yield potential, which currently far exceeds the 2.000kg/ha, which were achieved in the best crops for 20 years. back. In recent years, reports of crops exceeding 5.000kg/ha have been common, mainly in crops in the South and Center-South of Brazil, even without irrigation.

Thus, the various wheat breeding companies are present in the creation of these cultivars throughout Brazil, with the aim of meeting the different adaptation regions presented on the map of wheat adaptation regions in Brazil (Figure 1) and according to the different demands consumer markets. Table 2 presents the wheat cultivars recommended for seed commercialization in the three adaptation regions of Brazil in 2014 (Meeting of the Brazilian Wheat and Triticale Research Commission 2013). Information is also presented about the breeder (company that registered the cultivar on the Map), the year the cultivar was launched, the state and region for which the cultivar was recommended for cultivation, in addition to the commercial class of the cultivar.

Table 3 presents some of the main characteristics of the cultivars that may influence the choice of the cultivar to be sown. Information is presented on: plant height, reaction to blight, pre-harvest germination on the cob, powdery mildew, leaf rust, stem rust, FHB, blast, glume spot, brown spot , tan spot, mosaic virus and barley yellow dwarfism virus (Vnac).

New wheat cultivars are developed by breeding companies annually for all producing regions. The improvement of resistance, yield potential and quality, associated with new plant “ideotypes”, adapted to Brazilian conditions, is continually sought by research. As a new cultivation recommendation from Embrapa, the BRS Parrudo cultivar deserves to be highlighted (Figure 2 ), which was recommended for sowing in wheat regions 1 and 2, in the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Region 1 of Paraná. BRS Parrudo has an early to medium cycle (85 days until heading and 135 days until fruit maturation). harvest) and has a different plant architecture in relation to other wheat cultivars available on the market. It presents, in its genetics, a set of important agronomic characteristics, such as, for example, medium size, vigorous root system allowing better “anchoring” of the plant to the ground and full thatch in the base interstices, resulting in good resistance to lodging. BRS Parrudo also presents vigorous initial growth and short, erect leaves, allowing better penetration and distribution of light, as well as better gas diffusion also to the lower leaves of the plant, making the microclimate inside the crop less favorable to diseases and also allowing better penetration of the treatments applied. The resistance to blight and moderate resistance to frost in the vegetative phase (with little “leaf burn”) are also worth highlighting. It also showed a long ear, with up to 20 spikelets, and with excellent fertility, being able to form three to four grains per spikelet in crops with high grain yield potential. At harvest, the hard, red and glassy grains attract attention, with the absence of mottled grains (called “panza blanca" in Argentina and responsible for the subsequent reduction in the gluten strength of the flour). .

The first batches of BRS Parrudo wheat, produced in 2013, arrived at the mills in 2014 when the industry had already tested it and the results were promising. 38 samples of BRS Parrudo grown in fields in different municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and southern Paraná were sent to a mill in Paraná for analysis of the grains and flour. As a result, gluten strength values ​​(W) were obtained between 279 and 495, with an average of 351. In the Farinography test, which also measures the kneading capacity, BRS Parrudo had an average of 31 minutes, with a variation between 15 and 62 minutes . Being classified as Improver Wheat, it is suggested that this cultivar be used in the production of dry pasta, biscuits, cracker, industrial baking, and can be mixed with weaker gluten wheat, for baking in general.

By following the management recommendations for a good BRS Parrudo crop, the producer can achieve the desired grain productivity and the quality that the market demands. The main management recommendations are: apply good base fertilizer, following soil analysis; employ seed treatment; when sowing, use approximately 150kg of seeds per ha, with the aim of establishing a population of at least 300 plants per m²; use top dressing with up to 120kg/ha of nitrogen, adding base + cover, for Region 1 (Planalto, Serra and Serra do Sudeste), and up to 100kg/ha of nitrogen, adding base + cover, for Region 2 (Missões , Campaign and Central Depression).

The demands of the milling industries and the flour consumer market are also in constant adjustment, requiring research, in general, to make new investments to face the challenges that are being presented. It is expected that, in the future, research, grain producers and the milling and processing industries will be able to meet the demands of end consumers, consumers of bread, pasta, cakes, biscuits and other wheat-derived products.

Figure 2 - BRS Parrudo: new wheat cultivar from Embrapa for RS, SC and southern Paraná

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