New forage peanut cultivar presented by Embrapa in MS

Participants at Dinapec 2023 will have the opportunity to learn about the new forage peanut cultivar developed by Embrapa Acre, the BRS Oquira. Rich in protein and with high forage production, the technology is an alternative to intensifying meat and milk production and enabling more sustainable pasture-based livestock farming in the Amazon, Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes. The fair will take place between March 27th and 31st, at the Technological Showcase of Embrapa Gado de Corte, in Campo Grande (MS), the demonstration site where forage peanuts are grown. 

The result of 15 years of research, BRS Oquira is the result of evaluation and selection of genetic materials, tested under the climate and soil conditions of the three biomes. Rich in protein and with high forage production, the technology is an alternative to intensifying meat and milk production and enabling more sustainable pasture-based livestock farming. Studies have shown that, in fertilized and irrigated crops, the crude protein content in the plant reaches 29%, a value that guarantees quality food for the herd and improves animal productivity.

According to Embrapa Acre researcher and coordinator of the Forage Peanut Genetic Improvement Program, Giselle de Assis, unlike other legumes that concentrate protein in the leaves, forage peanuts also have a high protein content in the stalks, a characteristic that allows for forage high-quality. In experiments without fertilization and irrigation, the BRS Oquira cultivar presents 22% crude protein, fiber content around 43% and 68% dry matter digestibility (forage).

Resistant and tolerant

The new cultivar provides perenniality to intercropped pastures, even when associated with larger grasses in shady conditions. Furthermore, as it is a stoloniferous species (it has a stem with several rooting points), it is able to multiply quickly in pasture and completely cover the soil, an aspect that prevents erosion processes and allows persistence in terms of grazing and trampling by livestock. 

Research results also showed that it is tolerant of waterlogged soils. This characteristic makes it possible to intercrop with grasses adapted to this condition, in areas affected by braquiarão death syndrome, a disease associated with soil waterlogging and fungal attacks, considered the main factor in pasture degradation in the Amazon.

Where to find

The BRS Oquira cultivar is registered with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) and interested parties can purchase the product from nurseries in four states (Acre, Ceará, Minas Gerais and São Paulo), licensed by Embrapa. In Acre, the estimated production of seedlings of the cultivar is 16 tons per year, with harvest every four months. 

Click here and check out more information about the cultivar, with contact details for nursery farmers and material on nursery production and establishment of forage peanuts.