Embrapa presents rice diversity on field day in Goiás

Embrapa Arroz e Feijão welcomed producers and members of the rice industry, from Goiás and the interior of São Paulo, for the Technical Visit “Sharing Experiences and Building Knowledge”, which took place on the morning of February 29th, in the experimental fields of the Farms Capivara (Stº Antônio de Goiás) and Palmital (Goianira). The event, organized by the research center's Technology Transfer (TT) team, featured lectures by researchers from the Unit's Irrigated and Highland Rice Genetic Improvement Program (MelhorArroz). Members of the Rice Industry Union, Cerealistas Ipanema and Alnutri, Arroz Cristal, Feijão e Arroz Barão, Arroz Douradão, Sementes Marambaia, all from Goiás, and Arroz Ruzene, from Pindamonhangaba-São Paulo, were present.

The Technical Visit presented Embrapa's research advances in upland rice, irrigated crops and special grains. The visitors were received at the Unit's headquarters by the meeting coordinator, TT analyst Rodrigo Sérgio, and by the general head of the Unit, Elcio Guimarães, and went to the first station: an experimental highland rice field, at Fazenda Capivara . Under the leadership of researcher Flávio Breseghello, field information was covered, such as management and productivity, and the industrialization process, such as grain loss and breakage, in addition to technical issues regarding the cultivars developed by the Company.

In particular, BRS A502 was highlighted, a Terras Altas rice cultivar developed by Embrapa research, scheduled for launch next April, during ExpoTec, but which has already reached the consumer's table, introduced on the market by the licensee Sementes Grande, in one of Cristal Alimentos’ brands. According to Rodrigo Sérgio, productivity was excellent: “106 bags per hectare, very good for Highlands, similar to irrigated rice levels”. According to him, the production cost was below R$3 thousand, 30% lower, also compared to the parameters of irrigated rice. “This projects a profitability of around R$4 thousand/ha and the quality of the grain was within the best standards, which is why it was used by Arroz Cristal”, states Rodrigo.

According to Garibaldi Devoti, a consultant who supplied the rice to the industry, in this particular crop, many difficulties arose and reduced the productive potential. “If everything had occurred under normal conditions, I imagine that this cultivar would reach a productivity of 140 bags per hectare, which corresponds to the high productivity of irrigated rice,” he said.

The rice industry in Goiás faces logistics problems. Around 80% of what is processed here is produced in other Brazilian states, traveling very long distances, and around 30% of what arrives is discarded as impurities. According to Rodrigo, BRS A502 could mark the beginning of a new moment in this culture in Goiás, not yet at the point of self-sufficiency to meet market demand in the very near future, but with the potential to be explored after these research works on Embrapa, the State may be able to considerably expand the area destined for rice production, increasing current production by up to 300%. For Embrapa's TT analyst, adopting rice as a system member, becoming a tool within the annual production structure, inserted in crop rotation, production can reach 70 thousand, of the 250 thousand hectares of existing pivots in Goiás. In the 2019 harvest, there were only around 20 thousand hectares, of which only six were with Terras Altas rice. “This will elevate production to a condition of relevance and defense of the Industry itself, which would reduce logistics costs. The material will go from traveling 2.000 km, with a 30% loss, to traveling 300 km, from farming to industry”, says Rodrigo.

The second station, with the theme Irrigated Rice and Special Grains, took place at Fazenda Palmital, an experimental field for Embrapa Rice and Beans, in the municipality of Goianira-Goiás, with 3.789 materials planted for studies. There, the MelhorArroz program has worked with the challenge of launching cultivars that can increase productivity, in relation to those existing on the market, but also adding components such as: resistance to diseases, mainly blast; tolerance to lodging, through plant structure and presence of staygreen; and quality grains premium, with a low percentage of plastered area, high stability and yield of whole grains, improving the appearance and texture after cooking. In Irrigated Rice, the Program works with the concern of expanding the genetic base, in order to avoid the crop's vulnerability to biotic and abiotic stresses.

MelhorArroz has been working on converting its best cultivars so that they have tolerance to herbicides from the imidazolinone group, a characteristic that has helped producers in total control of weeds. At this event, a cultivar with this potential was presented, derived from BRS Catiana, which is scheduled to be launched in 2021. With this objective, BRS A701 CL, BRS A702 CL (2018), and BRS Pampa CL (2019) have already been launched. ).

Led by Colombari, the visitors made a tour on the screen dedicated to Special Grains experiments. The objective of this work is the development of Brazilian cultivars that allow diversification and added value to rice, in its sensorial, nutritional and functional aspects, to generate opportunities for Brazil to explore niches in the domestic and foreign markets. To this end, it has explored the genetic resources available in the Active Germplasm Bank (BAG) of Embrapa Arroz e Feijão, with around 30 thousand materials available, with a focus on colored grains; aromatics (Basmati and Jasmine); Italian, Japanese and Spanish cuisines; and innovations for haute cuisine.

As a consequence of the dialogues that took place at the event, on March 3, Embrapa and Arroz Ruzene signed a cooperation contract for market development and commercial exploitation of products derived from grains of the special cultivars BRS 358 (rice for Japanese cuisine) and BRS 902 (red rice). In addition to this agreement, Ruzene is now also licensed to use the 'Tecnologia Embrapa' brand.