Embrapa has a broad portfolio of irrigated rice cultivars to be cultivated in different regions of RS. For the 2021/2022 harvest, two cultivars available on the market stand out, BRS Pampa CL e BRS Pampeira. These cultivars meet the main demands of the production systems carried out in the State. The BRS Pampa CL cultivar developed for the Clearfield system has an early cycle, around 118 days from emergence to maturation, which allows for water savings during its production, has a high production potential and is less demanding on nitrogen, providing opportunities for cost reduction in its production, in addition to presenting excellent quality grains, considered noble or premium for the industry. BRS Pampeira has a longer cycle, around 133 days, greater resistance to blast, greater production potential, around 12 tons per hectare and a high standard of grain quality.
The preparatory stages for the arrival of any harvest take place long before choosing cultivars for sowing. The head of Embrapa's Grains Thematic Center, genetic improvement researcher Ariano Martins de Magalhães Jr, says that the producer plans in advance with a focus on the property's production system.
“The area is prepared, normally using advance summer preparation or minimum cultivation. Soil analysis and correction are also carried out, cleaning of irrigation channels, control of weeds (desiccation), acquisition of inputs (fertilizers and agrochemicals) for use during the stages of cultivation, and then, comes the choice of certified seeds”, he explains.
The choice of irrigated rice cultivars is part of the planning and presupposes the maximum use of its genetic potential. “The options must fall to those cultivars that have achieved high productivity; disease resistance; high yield of whole grains; good cooking characteristics; grains with good presentation; also associated with cost minimization, environmental preservation and harvest scheduling”, he highlights.
When choosing cultivars for your crop, you need to take into account some important factors such as purchasing good quality certified seed, free from invasive seeds, mainly red rice, or mixing with other cultivars, from registered producers. “This is the safest strategy, as the entire farming process will be at risk if the seed does not meet the necessary minimum quality standards,” he says.
Presence of red rice in the rice crop: choose cultivars that are resistant to herbicides from the imidazolinone group (ClearField - CL system) or cultivars resistant to other groups of herbicides that are emerging, such as Provisia, or cultivars adapted to the pre-germinated system.
Ideal climate forecasts (temperature, solar radiation, rainfall): use the planting of at least two cultivars from different cycles; 60% of which are medium cycle cultivars and 40% short cycle cultivars. The proportions must be reversed in the event of a delay in the sowing season or in the event of water restrictions. Check whether the year will be La Ninã or El Ninho for decision making.
Sowing time: in Rio Grande do Sul, it is recommended that sowing be carried out, according to the cultivar cycle and the growing region, so that the differentiation of the primordium occurs by January 1st or the nearest possible from this date, to make greater use of solar radiation during the differentiation phase of plant reproductive structures. The correct sowing time in the State can vary from September 21st to November 30th, depending on the cultivar cycle and the growing region, allowing to avoid problems with low temperatures coinciding (escapes) with critical periods of the crop, such as the differentiation stages of the primordium and microsporogenesis (flowering), also respecting the agroclimatic zoning of the crop.
Technological level: some cultivars respond well to fertilization and a high technological level, as is the case with hybrids, which is a factor that must be taken into consideration when choosing. Regions with low soil fertility do not show much response to productivity, using cultivars that are less demanding on fertilization or more efficient in extracting nutrients, as has been observed with biological nitrogen fixation work.
Regionalization: although they are cultivars launched for cultivation in RS, some perform better in certain regions due to their adaptation to that environment. In regions with high humidity and high temperatures, cultivars that are resistant to diseases, such as blast, are recommended.
There are a large number of cultivars available on the market and recommended for cultivation in Rio Grande do Sul. Each cultivar has its peculiarities regarding cycle (early, medium and late), production ceiling, grain quality (whole yield and cooking), resistance to diseases, tolerance to abiotic stress (low temperatures, iron toxicity, salinity, etc.), resistance to herbicides, among other characteristics.
Information on cultivar characteristics and performance can be accessed through the website, as well as found in the publication “Irrigated Rice: Technical Research Recommendations for Southern Brazil".
No Embrapa cultivar portfolio Several cultivars of irrigated rice are available for cultivation mainly in the subtropical region, responsible for more than 80% of national production.
BRS Pampa: It was launched by Embrapa in 2010, with emphasis on grain productivity, with an average of more than 10 t/ha, with efficiency in the use of nitrogen, as it does not require high doses of top dressing, and with industrial and culinary quality of grains classified by industry as “premium”. It is a cultivar that is making history. When Clearfield technology was inserted into this cultivar, obtaining an essentially derived version, it was launched in 2019 as BRS Pampa CL, which, in the first year of commercial production (harvest 2020/21), occupied the fourth position among cultivars most planted in RS, with more than 58 thousand ha. Clearfield technology is non-transgenic and occupies 80% of the areas in RS. This brings resistance to herbicides from the chemical group of imidazolinones with full action in pre- and post-emergence, providing good control of harmful rice and other invasive plants.
BRS Pampeira: It was launched by Embrapa in 2015. Like BRS Pampa, they also broke the productivity ceiling for medium cycle cultivars, with averages above 12 t/ha, with resistance to lodging, “premium” grain quality and with genetic resistance to the main rice disease, rice blast. This is the main characteristic that makes it interesting to producers to this day in the tropical region, mainly in Tocantins, occupying around 50% of the area of this State (the third largest producer in the country), where blast severity is the highest in all the national territory.
Rice farmers interested in using the genetic material from the Company's irrigated rice cultivars can purchase from seedbeds graduates for the production of certified seeds. Prices vary depending on the cultivar and the location of production and demand. The list of 30 licensed producers represents 17 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul and one municipality in Santa Catarina for Embrapa cultivars with seeds available on the market this harvest.
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