Embrapa launches soybean cultivar for the Matopiba region at the Bahia Farm Show

To increase soybean production in the Matopiba region, considered the country's new agricultural frontier, Embrapa Cerrados and Fundação Bahia will launch a cultivar adapted to the region's soil and climate conditions. The BRS 8980IPRO is recommended for the Cerrado biome in the states of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí and Bahia.

The launch will be during the agricultural fair Bahia Farm Show, on May 28th. Embrapa Cerrados researcher André Ferreira, responsible for the research, explains that after almost ten years of work it was possible to arrive at a product that meets the specific needs of producers in the region. “The focus of the research was Matopiba. So we consider the climatic stresses that are more recurrent there, that is, there is a greater climatic risk for the crop, and that is why we developed a more rustic material, with production stability in this environment and with an aggressive root system, which guarantees greater resistance. to vacationers”, reports the researcher.

The new cultivar achieves high productivity and is resistant to the main soybean diseases. As it is of the IPRO type, it suppresses Elasmo and Helicoverpa caterpillars, with less need for chemical control of these caterpillars.

The Bahia Farm Show is in its 15th edition and is one of the country's events with turnover and a showcase for agribusiness in the North and Northeast. The expectation is that R$2 billion will be negotiated at the fair, attended by 70 people.

Embrapa’s participation in the Bahia Farm Show 2019

The opening of the 15th edition of the Bahia Farm Show will take place on May 28th, at 10am, in the city of Luís Eduardo Magalhães (BA), and will be attended by the president of Embrapa, Sebastião Barbosa.

In the afternoon of the same day, the Soy Results Workshop in the 2018/2019 Harvest will be held, when the BRS 8980 IPRO cultivar will be launched and researcher André Pereira will present its characteristics and the results of Embrapa's research, together with other institutions linked to the sector. Productivity in different management systems, crop phytosanitary issues, productivity of commercial soybean and corn cultivars and management for high yields under water stress conditions will be discussed. This last topic will be presented by the Technology Transfer supervisor at Embrapa Cerrados, Sérgio Abud. 

At the Embrapa stand, on May 30th, starting at 9:30 am, a workshop will be held for journalists to discuss the topic "Soy as a factor in the economic and social development of Western Bahia". Embrapa Cerrados and Fundação Bahia will present production, market and export data, Brazilian potential and opportunities in the grain market, also presenting the experience of the city of Luís Eduardo Magalhães (BA), today a large soybean producing hub, responsible for 70% of the state's grain production, with one of the highest per capita incomes in Brazil and the 8th largest economy in the state.

Technologies from Embrapa Algodão (PB), Embrapa Cerrados (DF), Embrapa Cassava and Fruticulture (BA) and Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (DF) will also be presented at the stand. Researchers will be able to clarify doubts about the main crops in the region – soybeans, corn and cotton, in addition to wheat, which has been cultivated in irrigated areas as an option in succession to soybeans in the production system. 

There will be sales of Embrapa publications and an exhibition of the new soybean cultivar, BRS 8980 IPRO, and BRS 8781, also adapted to Matopiba.