Embrapa launches rice cultivar for rainfed areas

Embrapa and partners launched the BRS A502 rice cultivar, suitable for cultivation in rainfed areas in highlands in the states of Maranhão, Pará, Rondônia, Piauí, Goiás and Mato Grosso. The cultivar stands out for its tolerance to lodging and blast and high yield stability of whole grains, which allows the producer greater flexibility in harvesting. These characteristics, associated with the high productive potential and industrial and culinary quality of grains, make BRS A502 an excellent option for grain production and pasture renewal systems. The cultivar is registered in the National Cultivar Registry (RNC), of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa), under number 39.138. 

For Isabela Furtini, a researcher at Embrapa Arroz e Feijão who works in the Rice Genetic Improvement Program, the cultivar has shown excellent performance in well-corrected soils, with high fertility, and also in irrigated areas, under a central pivot. She also adds that BRS A502 has an average productivity of four tons per hectare, but with a production potential of up to nine tons. “This demonstrates the great genetic potential of the cultivar, because, if the environment is favorable and there are good management conditions, high productivity can be achieved,” said Isabela. 

Guilherme Abreu, a researcher at Embrapa Cocais, participated in conducting experiments on the Cultivation Value and Use (VCU) of the cultivar. According to him, this cultivar is expected to be widely used in highland areas, replacing older cultivars that have lodging problems. The researcher also believes that the new cultivar will contribute to strengthening the highland rice production chain, offering the producer more security in obtaining high productivity and greater yield of whole grains per hectare, in addition to providing the most demanding consumers with a quality product. better quality.

Researcher Mábio Lacerda, from Embrapa Arroz e Feijão and specialist in agricultural systems management, pointed out the need to observe weed control to obtain good productivity with BRS A502. “To implement this cultivar, we must pay attention, mainly, to the correct management of weeds in the initial development of the crop. This management must be carried out, keeping the crop clean, approximately 30 days after sowing. By carrying out this correct management, without the interference of weeds, there will be great chances of success and good productivity”, he highlighted. He added that another important aspect to be taken into consideration by the farmer who is going to plant BRS A502 is in relation to the spacing between rows. “In our research, we came to the conclusion that the ideal spacing is between 20 and 35 centimeters”, he concluded.

According to Carlos Santiago, a specialist at Embrapa Cocais, in the municipality of Chapadinha, state of Maranhão, the cultivar averaged 5.500 kg per hectare in a highland system. “BRS A502 is a cultivar that can be used in different growing conditions, including crop rotation and succession in areas under intensive agriculture (old lands) in the main producing regions of Brazil, even behaving very well in an agricultural environment. family in the state of Maranhão”.  

In addition to good projections for crop performance, Embrapa's expectation is that the BRS A502 will also bring very promising results for cereal producers and rice packers. Rodrigo Sérgio, Technology Transfer specialist at Embrapa, considers that the cultivar has attractive characteristics. “We have already carried out industry tests, around 100 tons of BRS A502, and the acceptance was excellent: high yield of whole grains; the material has practically no plaster, is translucent, loose and is the softest in our portfolio. Certainly, the quality of the grains will fit the consumer’s taste like a glove,” said Rodrigo Sérgio.

With regard to seeds, rural producers will now be able to count on BRS A502 in the summer harvest. “We have five licensees producing seeds and these will be made available on the market in September and October this year. So, the producer can now buy this material and verify its high quality”, said the Embrapa analyst.

Find out where to find seeds of the new cultivar.