Epamig holds Field Day on Forage Wheat in Montes Claros

Wheat has emerged as a promising crop in several regions of Minas Gerais, thanks to the resistance to heat and water deficit presented by some cultivars. Furthermore, the cereal can be used for both grain production and animal feed, offering different income alternatives for rural producers.

With the aim of disseminating technologies and research results, and also promoting the cultivation of wheat in the north of the state, the Agricultural Research Company of Minas Gerais (Epamig) holds the 1st Field Day on Forage Wheat, on August 7th, the starting at 7:30 am, at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (ICA-UFMG), in Montes Claros.

“The main objective of the event is to present to producers in the North of Minas Gerais the benefits of wheat for the production of forage and grains during the corn off-season. Normally, during this time, they leave the production areas idle or plant corn or sorghum again, which has caused major problems, mainly pests and diseases”, highlights the researcher from Epamig Oeste, and one of the organizers of the Field Day, Maurício Antonio Coelho. He adds: “Thanks to crop rotation, wheat cultivation breaks the cycle of these pests, reduces production costs, generates new income possibilities and can even serve as food for animals. So, we want to demystify the idea that it is impossible to plant wheat in the North of Minas and show that there is the possibility of developing cultivars adapted to hot and dry regions”.

Maurício will lead the station “Management and cultural treatments of MGS Brilhante wheat for silage”, in which he intends to address some differences between running a crop focused on silage production and one focused on grain production. “Managing wheat for silage requires some special care regarding soil preparation, fertilization, quantity of seeds and the type of planter that can be used. I will also highlight details about the harvesting of this wheat for silage, which must be done when the crop is still green, before the grains ripen and dry”, details the Epamig Oeste researcher.

He says that the demand prospected from local producers was for an event focused on the production of wheat silage based on the MGS Brilhante cultivar, a technology developed by Epamig that has been widely recommended by researchers and extensionists for the soil of Minas Gerais. But despite this, the organizers chose to also address the other income possibilities that culture brings.

Research results and carbon sequestration

Four other stations complete the event program, presenting information on the use of wheat silage in other regions and studies on its quality and productivity. Epamig Sul researcher, Aurinelza Condé, will make a presentation of the Demonstration Units implemented by Epamig in partnership with UFMG, in May this year. They are part of a project that aims to address wheat as a strategy for combating climate change and carbon sequestration, since wheat fixes more carbon than it emits during its production cycle.

The work, funded by the Minas Gerais State Research Support Foundation (Fapemig), seeks to collect data on the performance and adaptability of 23 wheat cultivars for the northern region of the state, and will have some of its initial results published throughout of Field Day.

In addition to Epamig, the event is co-organized by the Technical Assistance and Rural Extension Company of the State of Minas Gerais (Emater-MG) and ICA-UFMG. Free registration will take place at the event location and there will be a certificate of participation for those interested. More information by email at carlosjuliano@ufmg.br.