Embrapa presents technologies for grain production at Femec 2018

Present technologies for grain and forage production in the Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba. This was the objective of Embrapa's participation in the Machinery and Equipment Fair, Femec 2018, promoted by the Uberlândia Rural Union, which took place between March 20th and 23rd, at the Camaru Exhibition Park, in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais.

In its seventh edition, the fair's theme was "Generating Wealth for the Country We Preserve". "Embrapa sought to bring some of the technologies available for the production of grains and forage species developed through research, development and technology transfer, specifically for the Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba region", highlighted Emerson Borghi, a researcher at Embrapa Corn and Sorghum (Sete Lagoas-MG).

"We participated for the first time in the Fair's demonstration fields, together with the main national and international seed companies. The difference in our presence was that Embrapa presented, in addition to soybeans, corn and sorghum, which are the most prominent products in the region , forage cultivars such as brachiaria, Panicum maximum and pigeon pea. In addition to these species, we also show common beans and sunflower, which are interesting options for the composition of grain production systems in crop rotation", said the manager of Embrapa's Innovation and Business Office in Uberlândia, Aline de Oliveira Zacharias.

Giovana Alcântara Maciel, researcher at Embrapa Cerrados, in the Federal District, highlighted the Crop-Livestock-Forest Integration (ILPF) stations, where Embrapa placed cultivars such as sorghum BRS 658, intercropped with BRS Paiaguás and BRS Piatã grasses. "These are forage species that have been widely used, both for silage production and for pasture renewal at the end of the rainy season," she said. Borghi presented BRS 3046 corn, which meets one of the main needs of the green corn consumer market, in addition to BRS 380 grain sorghum, which is intended exclusively for grain production.

The audience present saw the Vit Cartridge, a biological insecticide based on baculovirus, a technology developed by Embrapa Milho e Sorgo in partnership with Grupo Vitae Rural, a company licensed by Embrapa. CartuchoVit's active ingredient is a highly effective virus for controlling fall armyworm, the main pest of corn, which also affects other crops, such as soybeans, sorghum, cotton and vegetables.

Another highlight of the fair was the moment for tasting products for human consumption made with yellow, brown and black BRS MG soybean cultivars. In partnership with Epamig and Emater-MG, Embrapa presented the main characteristics of these soybean cultivars, which have a mild flavor and high nutritional value.

In the technology showcase, visitors learned about the colonial laying hens Embrapa 051, hybrid chickens, developed by Embrapa Swine and Poultry (Concórdia-SC), for semi-intensive breeding. "This bird has a good capacity for producing brown-shelled eggs. The product is sold in the Uberlândia region, by a company representing an Embrapa consortium", said Aline. And, for tasting during the fair, Embrapa took its sour passion fruit cultivars. "These cultivars can be positioned for the fruit growing hub in the Triângulo Mineiro region", stated Aline.

Soybean cultivation in the Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba

An innovation by VII Femec was to promote courses and lectures. Embrapa Milho e Sorgo and the Embrapa Innovation and Business Office in Uberlândia offered the first course on soy production for Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba. The activities were coordinated by Aline Zacharias and Emerson Borghi.

 "The course aimed to disseminate and transfer technologies on soybean production through research results developed not only in Minas Gerais, but in all producing regions of Brazil", highlighted Borghi.

The lectures were given by researchers from Embrapa Cerrados and Embrapa Soja (Londrina-PR). All 100 open positions were filled. Students, technicians, extensionists, researchers, teachers and agribusiness professionals participated.

"Soybean cultivation in the Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba" was the theme of the opening lecture, given by Embrapa Soja researcher Roberto Kazuhiko Zito. "The idea was to provide an overview of soybean production in the region and present the challenges and success stories", highlighted Zito. He spoke about the importance of choosing cultivars to achieve greater productive potential for the region and issues related to excellent local conditions for seed production.

Next, researcher Maurício Meier spoke about "Disease management in soybeans", with an emphasis on Asian rust, white mold, target spot, anthracnose and some root rots. "It is very important to adopt integrated management, which encompasses all chemical, biological and cultural control strategies," he said.

Researcher Adilson Oliveira presented the lecture "Construction of soil fertility". He spoke about fertility assessments, correction and soil maintenance fertilization, aspects of plant mineral nutrition and nutrient management in the production system. He also explained the importance of balancing fertilizer and the symptoms of nutritional disorders that significantly affect productivity.

The topic "Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF) as a strategy in soybean production" was presented by researcher Marco Antonio Nogueira. He contextualized the importance of FBN with an emphasis on positive economic values ​​for the producer. According to Embrapa Soja, research results prove that annual re-inoculation to fix nitrogen in plants increases, on average, 8% in the productivity of soybean crops. Nogueira also highlighted that "coinoculation of the azospirillum to increase the efficiency of biological nitrogen fixation in soybeans results in an average increase in productivity of 16%".

"The importance of forages for the soybean production system" was the topic given by researcher Giovana Maciel, who highlighted the Crop-Livestock-Forest Integration (ILPF) systems. "Today's main message is to show the importance of crop diversification, the direct planting system and ILP," she said.

Researcher Edson Irose addressed "The importance of Integrated Pest Management in reducing production costs". "This has worried producers. A good alternative is to monitor and choose the ideal control method and adopt action levels. When talking about integrated systems, it is important to think about all crops and how pests travel through them", he warned.

To conclude the course, researchers André Pereira and Roberto Zito conducted the Technical Tour at the Femec technology showcase, showing visitors the main characteristics of soybean varieties BRS 7380RR, BRS 7280RR and the new BRS 5980IPRO. The BRS 5980IPRO combines productivity, resistance to the main soybean diseases and a cycle adapted to the agroclimatic conditions of the Brazilian Center-West.