Embrapa launches new banana cultivar developed for Pará

Embrapa launches tomorrow (24) in Belém, starting at 8:30 am, a new cultivar of silver type banana, one of the most popular in the North of the country. Developed especially for the region, BRS Pacoua stands out for presenting greater productivity and resistance to the main diseases that attack banana plantations in Brazil, such as black Sigatoka and yellow Sigatoka. The event will take place at the headquarters of Embrapa Amazônia Oriental and will be aimed at authorities, the press, partners and the production sector. The program includes lectures on the development of the cultivar and the banana farming scene in Pará, in addition to tasting the fruit in natura and products made from bananas in the Senai fruit processing truck.

On the 25th, the full productive potential of the fruit will be demonstrated on the field day, in a farming area in the municipality of Santo Antônio do Tauá, from 8 am to 12 pm.

Pará is the fifth banana producer in Brazil, with an annual production of around 600 thousand tons, divided into almost 60 thousand hectares, but it still needs to import 30% of the fruit to supply the state. In the metropolitan region of Belém (RMB), the import volume can reach three times more, as according to data from Ceasa (Pa), of the approximately 41 thousand tons sold in 2015, almost 90% came from other states.

BRS Pacoua, if cultivated with appropriate technologies and management, can produce up to 40 tons per hectare (t/ha) from the second cycle onwards, more than double the national average, which is 14 (t/ha) (IBGE/ 2015). This production would remove Pará from external dependence on the fruit and could mean a reduction of up to 30% in the value of the fruit sold in the RMB, as assessed by researcher Urano de Carvalho, a fruit tree specialist at Embrapa Amazônia Oriental.

Another advantage of the fruit over the current banana trees cultivated in Pará is its resistance to Black Sigatoka and Yellow Sigatoka, which guarantees the producer and the final consumer a fruit with a lower incidence of pesticides, as well as a lower rate of falling off, which gives bananas have a longer shelf life.

Produced mainly by family farming, state production is around 13 t/ha (IBGE/2015), slightly below the national average, and the low technology used in production is reflected in lower quality fruits and, consequently, lower value of Marketplace. The adoption of the new banana tree by family farming in Pará, in addition to healthier products, can represent a complement to the source of income, guaranteeing food security and improving the quality of life for families, as explained by agricultural engineer Antônio Menezes, an analyst at Embrapa Amazônia Oriental and one of those responsible for conducting the experiments with BRS in Pará.

According to Antônio Menezes, bananas are widely used in consortia, whether in agroforestry systems (SAFs) or alongside açaí and cocoa plantations. "The banana produces in one year and helps the farmer achieve a quick return on investment, as açaí takes an average of four years to produce, for example. In addition to the income from selling the banana, the leaves and remains from banana plantation management serve as fertilizer and water storage for the açaí plantation, reducing management costs", he explained.

The BRS Pacoua Banana Tree

BRS Pacoua is a banana hybrid, the product of crossing initiated by Embrapa Cassava and Fruticulture in the 90s. From then on, a network of national trials of promising genotypes was implemented, including the state of Pará, where the cultivar is recommended — The experiments in the North of the country were conducted in partnership with a team from Embrapa Amazônia Oriental (PA). It showed comparative advantages in relation to cultivars routinely used by producers in Pará, mainly in issues associated with disease resistance.

"BRS Pacoua has a female parent cultivating Pacovan. And the big difference between the two varieties concerns disease resistance. There are three main diseases that affect national banana farming: Yellow Sigatoka, Black Sigatoka and Panama disease . BRS Pacoua is resistant to Yellow Sigatoka, Panama disease and moderately resistant to Black Sigatoka. While Pacovan is susceptible to both Sigatoka and also has a certain level of susceptibility to Panama disease", explains the researcher Edson Perito Amorim, leader of Embrapa's Banana Genetic Improvement Program.

BRS Pacoua's productivity and flavor win over producers

Banana is the second most produced fruit in Pará, behind only açaí, but when it comes to consumption, it takes the lead at a rapid pace. This predilection for the fruit creates a potential market for BRS Pacoua to be adopted by producers in Pará, especially in the northeast region of Pará, which has great external dependence on the product.

Embrapa agronomist, Antônio Menezes, recalled that between 1998 and 2000, Pará was the largest banana producer in Brazil, a title lost after the arrival of black and yellow Sigatokas in the region, and that with this new cultivar it could increase the state again to the top of the ranking.

This is also the bet of producer Mario Antônio Sarkis Peixoto, who owned 30 ha of BRS Pacoua intercropped with açaí in the municipality of São Caetano de Odivelas. He said that he has been planting the cultivar for around 12 years, together with Embrapa, and that he is quite satisfied with the results. "Its productivity is very good, especially if combined with other fruits such as açaí, but what really won me over was the flavor of the fruit, which is sweet and superior to the silver ones I have already tasted", emphasized the producer. Still for the producer, the new cultivar could become a great ally for producers in the northeast of Pará, boosting the entire regional economy and perhaps even lowering the price for the final consumer. "Bananas from Belém and the northeast come from other states, which makes them very expensive. This new cultivar can lower the price and even generate more income for local producers", he analyzes.

The BRS Pacoua launch event is held at Embrapa Amazônia Oriental and Embrapa Mandioca e Fruticultura, with support from Amazônia Irrigação, Ideflor, Federation of Agriculture and Livestock of Pará (Faepa), Fiepa System and Secretariat of Agricultural and Fisheries Development (Sedap ).

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