Embrapa's research on cotton focuses on quality fibers with low environmental impact

In recent decades, Brazilian cotton has made a leap productive thanks to the investment made by producers in technology cutting edge, mainly in the adoption of new production systems, which combine productivity and sustainability; of new cultivars resistant to pests and illnesses; and mechanization (from planting to harvesting and storage). Those investments allowed Brazil to position itself among the five largest global producers, alongside China, India, USA and Pakistan; and among the largest exporters in the world. In a rainfed production system, the country occupies first place in productivity.

The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), which will turn 50 years old this April, is one of the institutions that helped the Brazil in this productive leap, mainly through research carried out by Embrapa Algodão, a product research center created on April 16, 1975, in Campina Grande, PB. But if today the lines of research are focused for two priority focuses - high quality, low impact fibers environmental -, when it was created, the action fronts were different: maintenance and the growth of arboreal cotton cultivation, with a perennial cycle and large socioeconomic expression in the Northeast region; and the development of cotton herbaceous, with an annual cycle, with greater emphasis on the Central-West region.

With the drastic reduction of cotton farming in the Northeast from 1985, as a result of the infestation of cotton crops by the boll weevil. cotton production, among other socioeconomic factors, Embrapa Algodão had to change its line of action, starting to look for earlier and adapted to the conditions of the Cerrado, initially for Mato Grosso, later Goiás and Bahia. Furthermore, it also started to integrate new crops, such as peanuts, sesame, castor beans and sisal.

Embrapa's research work was fundamental to the introduction of cotton farming in the Cerrado thanks to the development of cultivars of cotton adapted to that biome. The launch of the CNPA ITA cotton cultivar 90 was a major milestone in the consolidation of cotton farming in the Cerrado.

According to the Brazilian Association of Cotton Producers (Abrapa), currently Brazil is the fourth largest producer in the world, second largest exporter and the seventh largest consumer. Last year, the Gross Value of Cotton production (VBP) was R$41 billion, being the fourth most important part of Brazilian agriculture, after soybeans, sugar cane and corn.

Today, the production chains worked by Embrapa Algodão play a leading role in production systems in the Semiarid region, the Cerrado and the region Southeast. The Unit develops research and innovations in areas of improvement genetics, biological control, biotechnology, agricultural mechanization, quality of cotton fibers, plant health, production systems, and also seeks encourage the transfer of knowledge to integrated production systems.

Colored cotton and other alternatives for the Semiarid

With the aim of creating new alternatives for farmers in the semi-arid region, the Unit developed cultivars of colored cotton from the crossing of high-quality white cotton cultivars fiber quality with naturally colored fiber plants. The technology reduces the environmental impact of the textile process, as it eliminates the use of dyes, in addition to saving around 80% in water consumption in fabric production.

In total, six colorful cultivars were launched, in shades ranging from light, dark and reddish brown, in addition to light green, all indicated for the Brazilian Northeast. Thanks to the increasing trend in demand for more environmentally friendly products, colored cotton has gained the international fashion catwalks and became an intangible heritage of Paraíba.

Another line of action focused for small producers in the Semiarid region is the cultivation of organic cotton and agroecological, without the use of chemicals and in consortium with crops food, aiming to contribute to income generation and food security in region. In the 2020/2021 harvest, Brazil cultivated around 70 tons of fiber organic cotton on 14.591 hectares of land. Another 28 tons of fiber in conversion to the organic system were also cultivated in this harvest. A activity involves 832 farmers in organic system and 455 in conversion to the organic system. The main production areas are: Piauí, Pernambuco, Ceará, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, Alagoas and Sergipe.

The shortage of labor in the field is another bottleneck for the advancement of cotton farming in the Semiarid region. To address this problem, Embrapa and partners have been working on the development of machines and implements that make it possible to expand production and improve quality of life of the country man. Among the equipment already developed are mini-plant cotton processing plant, cultivators for soil preparation adapted to small properties, planter adapted to the cultivation of cotton seeds and, more recently, with FAO support, a one-man cotton harvester line adapted for use on small surfaces, aiming to meet the needs of small cotton producers. The equipment has already been validated in Brazil and Paraguay.

“With technologies developed or improved, we we will be able to contribute to reducing the effort of small producers and increasing productivity to enable cotton production in the Semiarid and other regions member countries of cooperation with FAO”, explains researcher Odilon Reny Ribeiro, one of the creators of the implements.

Sesame gains space in the second harvest

Another crop that has aroused the interest of producers is sesame, which has gained space as a second crop or safrinha crop, used in crop rotation and/or succession, mainly with soybeans. Over In recent harvests, sesame cultivation has shown significant growth in Brazil, with an increase of more than 200% in production and 400% in planted area. The area planted with sesame in Brazil is currently 213.900 hectares, according to data from Conab. The main producers are Canarana, MT, Paragominas, PA and Palmas, TO.

The coordinated sesame genetic improvement program by Embrapa has already made eight cultivars available, the most recent being BRS Seda, BRS Anahí and BRS Morena, which currently occupy 17% of the sesame cultivated area in the country.

The deputy head of Research and Development at Embrapa Cotton, Nair Arriel, responsible for the development of cotton cultivars sesame, states that research has been working to supplant the main challenges of oilseed cultivation. “We look for sesame cultivars with high productive potential and oil yield, combined with fruit and plant architecture that facilitates mechanized harvesting, and with resistance to major diseases,” she says.

“Soon, a new black variety, whose seeds are highly appreciated in the market Asian, in particular, due to its high medicinal value", says the researcher.

New challenges for Unit

According to the general head of Embrapa Algodão, Alderi Araújo, the The Unit's main challenges are related to the development of sustainable technologies aimed at increasing productivity, reducing production costs and compliance with international quality standards and environmental. “Our research and innovation activities aim to economic, social and environmental sustainability of the production chains of the five crops worked by the center in the main producing regions and in regions of expanding cultivation,” he says.

For cotton cultivation, the focus of research has been the development of sustainable production systems that allow the management efficient use of available natural resources (soil and water), pest management, diseases and weeds and increased efficiency of applied inputs. "In partnership with the production sector, we are working with new strategies to the biological control of cotton pests, which is of paramount importance for reduce the environmental impact of cotton farming", says Araújo.

“On another front, we have developed solutions for production of low-carbon cotton, through rotation and succession of crops, use of cover crops, direct planting and tillage system soil, which are contributing to reducing the emission of greenhouse gases greenhouse", he adds.

The research also seeks to obtain cultivars with resistance to multiple diseases, pests and tolerance to herbicides, both by conventional breeding and transgenics, associated with high productivity, resilience to abiotic factors and high percentage of fiber. “Lines of research to develop cultivars with characteristic fibers differentiated as long and extra-long fibers and colored fibers are also prioritized by the Unit”, reports the manager.

Peanut research has worked on developing more productive, early cultivars, with high oleic content, with resistance to diseases and water stress, adaptation to regions of expansion of cultivation and good post-harvest quality. New strategies for controlling of weeds, pests and diseases.

Research into castor beans aims to develop production systems for traditional growing regions in the semi-arid region and expansion regions of the Cerrado through the availability of cultivars with high oil productivity, disease resistance and precocity, as well as differentiated adaptation to growing regions. They are also worked on by research, systems that allow soil conservation, pest and disease management and productivity, as well as the use of co-products from the extraction of oil.

Sisal research seeks to develop ways to ensure greater competitiveness and sustainability of production systems with culture of sisal in the Semiarid region, through productive arrangements, use of selection and bioindustrial application to strengthen agriculture in region.

Research with sesame has as its main challenge the development of cultivars resistant to water stress, main diseases, with high oil content, and also cultivars that present indehiscence (capsules that do not open when ripening) or semi-indehiscence of capsules, or even greater adhesion of the seeds to the capsule, adapted to cultivation in different soil and climate conditions, mechanized cultivation of harvest and with film of different shades to suit different markets.