Launched in 2020, the BRS A502 cultivar paved the way for upland rice to be inserted into intensive cultivation environments and integrated with other crops. This expansion of the cereal makes it possible to better supply the national market, which is currently mainly supplied by rice farms in the South Region, where 80% of the national rice is harvested.
According to the researcher at Embrapa Arroz e Feijão (GO) and one of the coordinators of the company's rice plant improvement program, Adriano Castro, BRS A502 has characteristics that are contributing to its inclusion in crop rotation.
Castro says that research into genetic improvement of rice has invested in the highland cultivation system. The results brought different perspectives to rice farming in the Cerrado of Central Brazil over the last three years. The cereal has been incorporated into crop rotation areas irrigated under central pivot on properties located in Unaí and Paracatu (MG), Cristalina, Rio Verde, Jataí, Santa Helena and Pires do Rio (GO); and in the Federal District (DF). Generally, the grain is an alternative to soybeans and corn during the summer and off-season harvests, preceding winter crops, when beans and wheat are commonly planted.
He highlights that, as a rule, in integrated cultivation environments with corrected and high-fertility soils, rice is more prone to lodging (the tendency for the plant to lie on the ground due to the weight of the grains). However, BRS A502 is resistant to lodging, as long as adequate crop management is observed, which allows its introduction in areas irrigated under a central pivot. “This is a fundamental characteristic for obtaining a product of good commercial and industrial quality”, he comments.
The researcher points out that central pivot rice farming should not be seen solely from the aspect of crop productivity per hectare. “It is remarkable what upland rice provides in terms of maintaining and improving the production system as a whole; and also the profit per hectare of the entire property system”, he assesses. Castro says that farmers use the BRS A502 as one of the tools to improve production efficiency and improve financial results.
One of the farmers who introduced the cultivation of upland rice under a central pivot is the agronomist and rural producer of the MeC Group, William Matté. At Fazenda Taboca, in Cristalina (GO), he has already cultivated BRS A502 within a production system management model. For him, rice is another option for the succession of crops, which include soybeans, corn, beans, wheat and sunflower. Matté also rotates a mix of cover crops in the crop areas, in order to promote soil fertility for commercial agricultural crops.
The producer notes that highland rice under central pivot is yet another alternative that joins the form of property management, whose purpose is to obtain profit from the total sum of productive activities carried out during the year and not just from a specific crop or harvest. To achieve this, he is concerned with taking care of the soil, considering it as the basis of his production.
“If we take care of the chemical, physical and biological pillars of the soil, we can have more net profitability per hectare and, if you ask me if the system is viable, I say: absolutely! The cover crop system, with crop succession, brings stable remuneration. I would say that not only because it allows us to produce more, but also because it has production stability and participates in different market times”, says Matté. The benefits of crop succession with rotation between a mix of cover crops benefit the soil, for example, through water infiltration, nutrient cycling and reduced disease infestation.
Grain marketing broker Garibaldi Devoti is one of the professionals who understands the integration of upland rice cultivation in crop rotation areas irrigated under a central pivot. He considers some benefits obtained by introducing culture in this environment. “Rice is very important because it leaves around 100 to 120 bags per hectare for the producer and allows him to rotate and produce straw (direct planting) for the bean crop. Rice breaks practically all cycles of soil diseases and, as a result, high productivity in beans is obtained”, points out Devoti.
He considers that, from the industry's perspective, the BRS A502 is attractive because it allows obtaining good grain quality. “The BRS A502 delivers to the industry a 68%, 69% whole grain with 74% yield. This is an extraordinary thing. I believe that, over time, and as we are able to make this offer with more volume, this will be very significant for industries in the Central-West, where the largest number of central pivots are located”, says Devoti.
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