Embrapa Cerrados launches soybean cultivars that resist drought and nematodes

A soybean cultivar that resists up to 15 days of summer and another that resists root-knot nematode are being launched this week by Embrapa Cerrados (DF). Adapted to the Cerrado region, the materials are options with high productive potential and production stability for producers.

O launch was held this Monday (27/03), at 11 am, during Tecnoshow Comigo 2023, which runs until the 31st, along with the BRSMG 534 cultivar, developed by Embrapa Soja (Londrina, PR) in partnership with the Triângulo Foundation and the Minas Gerais Agricultural Research Company (Epamig). The soybean cultivars were developed in partnership with the Fundação Cerrados and the Fundação Bahia and selected under water stress conditions. 

The BRS 7981IPRO was selected in Western Bahia. It has an average cycle (around 120 to 125 days in the DF and region and around 115 days in western Bahia and Mato Grosso). It has a high production potential and can be cultivated in Central Brazil, in the MATOPIBA region, in Tocantins and Mato Grosso, a state where it is an option for producers who intend to plant second-crop corn. 

The cultivar's main distinguishing feature is its rusticity, with roots that go deep into the soil. “It is a material that can withstand summer periods of more than 15 days with some peace of mind, as it will deliver good productivity. In western Bahia, in regions with sandier soils, it reached 80 sc/ha in rainfed conditions”, points out researcher André Ferreira. The BRS 7981IPRO can also be used in integration systems with other crops, such as the soybean-cane system, a technology that will soon be launched by Embrapa.

The BRS 7781 is a conventional cycle soybean cultivar, depending on the region of indication, semi-early (Minas Gerais, Goiás and Distrito Federal) and early (West of Bahia). It has high production potential, allowing greater economic return to the producer. The plant is erect and resistant to lodging and the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica, which allows for better management of areas contaminated by this phytonematode. 

It can be used in the crop succession production system in which corn, sorghum, cotton, sesame, pulses or wheat can be planted after the soybean harvest in the same agricultural year, increasing the sustainability of the production system. Because it is conventional, it has the advantage of receiving premiums on the selling price of grains in the “Free Soy” markets.

Those interested in purchasing seeds of the two soybean cultivars should contact Embrapa's partner foundations:

- Cerrados Foundation: (61) 3387-4175

- Fundação Bahia: (77) 99822-8593