Embrapa opens call for applications to license cassava nursery owners.

Nurserymen can register to acquire propagation material of five cassava cultivars from Embrapa. The public offering for licensing is intended for producers of cassava seedlings/seed cuttings (Manihot esculenta Crantz) that are registered in the National Register of Seeds and Seedlings (Renasem).

The announcement features three varieties developed by Embrapa Cerrados (BRS 401, BRS 418, and BRS 429) and two by Embrapa Mandioca e Fruticultura (BRS 420 and BRS CS 01). Applications will be submitted via email and processed in order of receipt until all available slots are filled. The deadline is February 6th at 17 PM.

“This offer is of great importance to Embrapa. We have a large demand from rural producers seeking our materials, and now, with the licensing of nurserymen who will multiply our varieties, we will be able to meet this demand,” says Cristiane Cruz, head of Technology Transfer at Embrapa Cerrados.

The licensing process is free for nursery owners, as reported by the technical manager responsible for the tender. “The advantage is that these are protected materials without royalty contracts. Those who multiply the cassava cuttings will, in return, provide Embrapa with information about where they will be used, in what volumes, and in what timeframe,” explains agricultural engineer Helton Fleck da Silveira, technology transfer analyst at Embrapa Cassava and Fruit Crops.

Varieties available in the announcement.

BRS 401 – table cassava

Planting recommendation: Midwest.

Technical qualities: High yield potential; moderate resistance to bacterial blight; early maturity; architecture favorable to cultivation practices; ease of harvesting.

Highlights: The root pulp is pinkish in color and has a higher presence of carotenoids, making it more nutritious compared to white and cream-fleshed cultivars. It meets the demand for biofortified/nutraceutical products, which offer a higher content of vitamins and substances beneficial to human health.

Value: R$ 250,00 (50 cassava seed cuttings).

Pickup location: Embrapa Cerrados, Planaltina, Federal District.

BRS 418 – industrial use

Planting recommendation: Cerrado biome.

Technical qualities: High starch productivity (32,5% starch in the roots); good architecture for mechanization; resistance to bacterial blight; potential for use of the aerial part in animal feed.

Highlights: An option for producers seeking industrial and agronomic efficiency.

Value: R$ 250,00 (50 cassava seed cuttings).

Pickup location: Embrapa Cerrados, Planaltina, Federal District.

BRS 429 – table cassava

Planting recommendation: São Paulo – the first table grape cultivar from Embrapa recommended for the state of São Paulo.

Technical qualities: Average productivity 49,7% higher than the performance of traditional varieties; potential greater than 60 tons per hectare; cylindrical root; longer and more uniform, with greater commercial use, precocity (harvest in eight months); moderate resistance to the main diseases.

Highlights: Good culinary quality; superior flavor; intense yellow pulp; good cooking time (20 minutes); mealy texture, suitable for more common consumption (boiled and fried) and for obtaining good quality dough.

Value: R$ 250,00 (50 cassava seed cuttings).

Pickup location: Embrapa Cerrados, Planaltina, Federal District.

BRS 420 – industrial use

Planting recommendation: For the states of Paraná and Mato Grosso do Sul. Technical qualities: suitability for use in no-till farming; significant superiority to the most commonly used varieties in these regions in terms of root and starch productivity, both in the first and second cycles; moderate resistance to bacterial blight, superelongation and anthracnose; erect growth habit, which facilitates cultivation practices, harvesting and the production of cuttings for planting.

Value: R$ 125,00 (25 cassava seed cuttings).

Pickup location: Embrapa Cassava and Fruit Crops, Cruz das Almas, Bahia.

BRS CS 01 – Industrial use

Planting recommendation: Mato Grosso do Sul (south/southeast), Paraná (northwest and far west) and São Paulo (central-west, southwest and west).

Technical differences: Regarding dry matter productivity, whose main component is starch, it was almost 50% higher in the first cycle compared to the most commonly planted varieties, and in the second cycle, it reached values ​​greater than 100%. This provides a faster return on investment made in establishing the crop and increased value for the industry.

Value: R$ 125,00 (25 cassava seed cuttings).

Pickup location: Embrapa Cassava and Fruit Crops, Cruz das Almas, Bahia.