Wheat gains space due to evolution in productivity and new market dynamics

Wheat crops in the Passo Fundo region, despite the rains that postponed sowing and the occurrence of frosts, are heading towards the maturation phase amid forecasts of high production potential. And with an area around 33% larger compared to 2021, the estimated production for this cycle in the region, according to Emater/RS, should grow in relation to the last harvest. The factors that contribute to increased crop productivity were some of the topics that marked the Biotrigo Field Day 2022, which promoted the presentation of new wheat technologies. The event, held in Passo Fundo (RS), this Wednesday (19/10), was attended by more than 300 people, including seed multipliers, technical assistants and representatives of the milling industry.

This prospect of an increase in the productive potential of crops in the region is also seen in Rio Grande do Sul as a whole. As a result, the state should have the highest production in its history, with the expectation of a harvest of almost 4 million tons, according to Emater/RS. According to Biotrigo's commercial manager for Latin America, Fernando Michel Wagner, the good moment of the crop in RS depends on several factors, the main one being the new market dynamics, which ends up generating more liquidity for the farmer. “The biggest change in wheat is the different commercialization routes that the crop has today. This scenario allows the farmer to allocate his production to, in addition to the mills, the export market, which again indicates that it is an important route. Still, there are alternative markets, such as the more recent ethanol industry and the animal feed industry,” he says. Along with offering new opportunities, the producer has at his disposal new technologies in the field, which evolve in several aspects to offer even greater yield and production stability in the field.

One of these new features, which has advances in productivity as its key point, is TBIO Motriz. The material is considered the evolution of TBIO Toruk, a cultivar already recognized for its high production ceiling. “Motriz is launched with the objective of yielding more than Toruk, with greater ease in field management by the producer, maintaining the focus of the improvement program on making the farmer harvest more wheat every year, increasing the success rate of culture”, comments Fernando. TBIO Motriz presents changes in its level of resistance to Fusarium head blight, yellow spot, leaf burn, caused mainly by bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas, and ear blast. Furthermore, the cultivar arrives on a medium/late cycle platform, becoming a useful tool in scheduling sowing.

Along with Motriz, another launch of the Biotrigo portfolio in 2022 is TBIO Capaz. “This cultivar has the hallmark characteristic of high production efficiency, with a type of plant considered modern for wheat in the whitening segment”, says Fernando. As it has a super early cycle, the cultivar also allows the producer to stagger the sowing, being better positioned when the window closes. The TBIO Capaz phytosanitary package has an excellent level of resistance to wheat mosaic, as well as good safety in field management in relation to yellow spot and leaf burn (Pseudomonas). Both TBIO Capaz and Motriz will begin to multiply from 2023 onwards.

Production and income stability on the agenda

Among the materials in Biotrigo's portfolio that will be available to producers in the next harvest, XBIO Fusão and TBIO Caliber stand out - but for different reasons. XBIO Fusion consists of a mixture between two wheat cultivars, TBIO Audaz and Sagaz, and its main objective is to offer greater productive stability in the crop. “What we noticed with the product is that it offers, on average, over the years, a greater production than the same cultivars being sown separately, which will certainly bring more security to the farmer, so that he can harvest wheat in all years, without crop failures”, points out Biotrigo’s commercial supervisor, Felipe Carlotto. One of the ways that XBIO Fusion improves crop safety is through an evolution in the material's level of resistance to powdery mildew. “In addition, XBIO Fusão brings even more outstanding breadmaking compared to TBIO Audaz, offering the industry, mainly, an even lighter flour color”, he says.

TBIO Caliber, a super-early cultivar, has been changing yield patterns among short-cycle wheats. “One of the factors that draws the most attention in Caliber is the number of ears per square meter that the material produces. This high ear fertility has been translating into excellent production potential”, highlights Felipe. And to complement the power of TBIO Caliber when it comes to productivity, the material presents a balanced level of resistance to the main crop diseases, with emphasis on mosaic, leaf rust and powdery mildew. “The cultivar still offers great security in terms of pre-harvest germination and maintaining its pH”, he adds.

New opportunities in wheat

Also available from the next harvest, TBIO Blanc was one of the new products from the Trigos Especiais project exhibited at the event. When compared to TBIO Noble, the cultivar brings relevant improvements, offering the producer an even more complete material, within a segregation project. “Blanc is highly productive, with potential compared to portfolio materials, such as TBIO Ponteiro, and also brings advances in its phytosanitary package, facilitating the producer's management”, points out Biotrigo's commercial technical assistant, Arthur Halmenschlager. Along with Blanc, the project also has TBIO Ênfase, a new product that will be multiplied next year and aimed at the biscuit and confectionery market. “In Emphasis, the farmer has wheat with outstanding yield within this market niche and, like TBIO Blanc, an agronomic set equivalent to portfolio materials. With this, the producer can take advantage of the opportunities offered by the segregation project, without giving up high yield potential,” he says.

Broad wheats: a new concept

The field day also brought participants the introduction of a new technology into the culture. These are broad-cycle wheats, which, in the strains presented, have seven to ten days longer than medium/late cultivars, such as TBIO Ponteiro. According to Biotrigo's breeding manager, Ernandes Manfroi, this factor can be useful on the property for several reasons. “This allows wheat sowing to be even earlier, reducing the window in which the soil is fallow. Furthermore, this factor helps to combat weeds and promotes better use of residual nitrogen from the predecessor crop, generally soybeans”, he points out. In this way, it is expected that broad cycle wheats will be able to deliver even more yield and productive stability, bringing advantages both from an agronomic point of view and profitability for the producer.