Embrapa has the first protected sesame cultivar in Brazil

The first sesame cultivar granted protection in Brazil is from Embrapa. BRS Morena was developed by the Embrapa Algodão team and should serve large producers in the Central-West region, where the crop has expanded in recent years, especially in Mato Grosso. The cultivar should hit the market in 2020.

“About three years ago, upon identifying the expansion of sesame cultivation to the Central-West, the genetic improvement team at Embrapa Algodão began the development of BRS Morena. The protection safeguards the Company's rights over the cultivar and allows greater control over the seeds that will be produced and the maintenance of Embrapa's leading role”, explains researcher Nair Arriel, responsible for developing the cultivar.

Protection is justified by the possibility of holding exclusive exploitation rights. The cultivars existing on the Brazilian market are in the public domain or introduced, as sesame cultivation was regionalized and restricted to small producers in the Northeast, explains the asset manager at Embrapa's Innovation and Business Secretariat, Aline Zacharias.

The prospect of expanding the cultivation area and market made obtaining protection rights convenient and timely. Royalties arising from the commercial exploitation of the cultivar may return to research, albeit indirectly. The idea is to promote Embrapa's competitive insertion in the innovation environment for the benefit of Brazilian society.

Sesame market

BRS Morena's main attraction is the reddish brown film, appreciated in several world markets, and will be aimed at the gourmet market. According to researcher Nair Arriel, the cultivar has high grain productivity and an oil content above 50%.

Although 90% of the Brazilian bakery and oil market adopts white seeds, the gourmet consumer segment is interested in those with a darker color, such as BRS Morena. “For some segments, it brings a different flavor. In the Arab market, for example, they like tahini made from darker seeds,” he says.

Embrapa Algodão works to prospect producers to multiply the seeds and develop a market for the new product. The cultivar will be presented to producers and buyers during the seminar taking place this week, in Canarana, in Mato Grosso, the largest national producer of sesame.

Cultivar research 

Embrapa Algodão has worked to launch cultivars that are increasingly productive and better adapted to different environments, with higher oil content and tolerance to pests and diseases, targeting both the food and oil markets. “To this end, we have been developing white or cream varieties, such as BRS Seda and BRS Anahí, our most recent launches”, he points out.

BRS Morena has a production potential of around 980 kilos per hectare in a rainfed system and 1.800 kilos per hectare in an irrigated system. It is recommended for mechanized cultivation on both large and small scales in the Central-West, North and Northeast regions.

In relation to productivity, BRS Morena is in the middle ground between BRS Anahí, much sought after as it allows mechanical harvesting, and BRS Seda, which is sweeter. “BRS Seda is very branched and has white seeds, while BRS Anahí is not branched, but has much larger seeds. At BRS Morena the branching is intermediate and the oil content is also close to the last two cultivars released”, he compares.

Sesame Seminar 

The 1st Gergelim Seminar will be held on December 6th, at the Canarana City Council, with the aim of debating the challenges of culture, which is expanding in the state of Mato Grosso. The event should bring together producers, exporters, researchers, technicians and sector authorities. The program will feature lectures from Embrapa researchers and experts on large-scale production.

Canarana alone accounts for more than 80% of national sesame production, with a planted area of ​​50 thousand hectares this harvest, according to producers' estimates. The crop has been gaining ground as a second crop, after soybean cultivation, as it has low water requirements and is easy to manage.

The Secretary of Agriculture, Charles Visconti, reports that with each harvest the crop has been taking over corn in the municipality, which claims the title of national sesame capital. “Our production doubled in the last harvest and, with everyone’s partnership, this crop only tends to grow even more”, he declares.

For the researcher, the event will provide technical discussion of the large-scale sesame production system. “Until then, research was focused on cultivation in small areas. Now, research is facing new challenges for culture”, says Arriel.