New soybean cultivars are presented at Agrobrasília Field Day

Participants in the Agrobrasília 2023 Soybean Cultivar Competition, the varieties BRS 7981IPRO, BRS 7482RR and BRS 7080IPRO were presented by Embrapa Cerrados at a Field Day held at PAD-DF, in the Federal District, on the 17th. Promoted by the Regional Cooperative from the Federal District (Coopa-DF), the event brought together around 530 producers, technicians and students, who discovered 68 cultivars from 16 companies planted in an area of ​​15 ha, as well as products such as biological inputs, foliar fertilizers and fertilizers.

“The Agrobrasília cultivar competition is an opportunity for us to bring Embrapa’s work in soybean genetics to the eyes of farmers in the region, who come to see our materials for the first time and compare them to other varieties available on the market. Here are the best soybean breeders in Brazil who serve the Cerrado Biome”, said Sebastião Pedro, general head of Embrapa Cerrados, the research unit responsible for developing Embrapa's soybean genetic improvement program for the Center-North of the country. “It is also an opportunity, under equal conditions to other breeders, to measure the productive potential of our varieties, present the beneficial characteristics of adaptation, stability, resistance to biotic factors such as pests and diseases, and abiotic factors, such as water stress or excessive rain”, he added.

Sebastião Pedro recalled that Brazil expanded the soybean cultivation area in 2023, and the expectation is for a record harvest, despite the drought in Rio Grande do Sul. He estimates that the central region of Brazil should have a record soybean harvest not only in volume, but also in productivity. “But the challenge is not just to produce a lot, but to produce a lot sustainably”, he stated, highlighting that the three cultivars presented by Embrapa Cerrados were developed to guarantee productivity and sustainability for the producers’ business.

For the president of Coopa-DF, José Guilherme Brenner, the cultivar competition, which is now in its 13th edition, has already become traditional in the region, and represents a showcase of the newest materials available on the market. “Producers use Field Day as a reference for what they will plant next year. They can compare one material with another, understand the material cycle and obtain information about characteristics and resistance. Thus, the event has an important practical result for the producer,” he said.

Different options for the producer

The differences between Embrapa's three cultivars were presented by André Ferreira, researcher at Embrapa Cerrados and coordinator of Embrapa's soybean genetic improvement program for Central-North Brazil. The varieties were developed in partnership with Fundação Cerrados and Fundação Bahia. 

Present with Ferreira at the presentations, the technical director of the Cerrados Foundation, Ilson Alves, explained that the entity is made up of several seed companies, some of them based in the Federal District and in neighboring municipalities, which help to finance the research: “They are seed producers of soybeans licensed to produce and commercialize the cultivars developed in the agreement with Embrapa”.

Ferreira recalled that plant crossings are carried out by Embrapa based on the problems highlighted by producers and considering possible changes in the scenario, envisioning the launch of cultivars in seven to 10 years. “The partnership with foundations and producers is a two-way street, and this is fundamental. We are with you to plan materials that will deliver productivity and sustainability to the producer. It is a participatory improvement”, he highlighted.

The researcher recalled that the history of soy in the region goes through the history of Embrapa and the tropicalization of the crop in Brazil. “The adjustment of varieties for the Cerrado region, which has lower latitudes, was done by us together with other institutions,” he said. At the moment, the Company's soybean genetic improvement program aims, in addition to productivity, to achieve differences such as resistance to nematodes, pests and diseases (including those that have not yet been identified in Brazil), as well as tolerance to water deficit. In addition to IPRO and RR cultivars, conventional cultivars and Xtend and Intacta2 Xtend technologies are developed.

Launched in November 2021, the cultivar BRS 7080IPRO is a material with a super early cycle (around 105 days in the DF region), resistance to the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica, in addition to enabling the corn harvest in Central Brazil and the cultivation of cotton in irrigated systems in western Bahia. In the DF and region, the indicated population is 360 thousand plants/ha. “In strip experiments, we reached more than 100 sc/ha, so it is a material that has a high production ceiling”, he pointed out.

Also launched just over a year ago, BRS 7482RR is an early variety, resistant to the herbicide glyphosate and which allows corn to be grown in the DF and region. It is resistant to cyst nematodes (Heterodera glycine) races 1 and 3. “It is a material that will also deliver high productivity, it has already been planted in this region and in areas of Western Bahia, where the cycle closes in 100 days, and Mato Grosso , which allow the second harvest with cotton”. The indicated population is 320 thousand plants/ha.

The BRS 7981IPRO was developed under water stress conditions, having been selected in Western Bahia. It has an average cycle (around 120 to 125 days in the DF and region and around 115 days in western Bahia and Mato Grosso). It has a high production potential and can be cultivated in Central Brazil, in the MATOPIBA region, in Tocantins and Mato Grosso, a state where it is an option for producers who intend to plant second-crop corn. 

Ferreira explained that, despite not being resistant to nematodes like the other two cultivars, BRS 7981IPRO has good leaf health and its great advantage is its rusticity, with roots that go deep into the soil. “It is a material that can withstand summer periods of more than 15 days with some peace of mind, as it will deliver good productivity. In western Bahia, in regions with sandier soils, it reached 80 sc/ha in rainfed conditions,” he pointed out.

The BRS 7981IPRO can also be used in integration systems with other crops, such as the soybean-cane system, a technology that will soon be launched by Embrapa. The cultivar should be released later this year.

Those interested in purchasing seeds from these cultivars should contact Embrapa's partner foundations: Fundação Cerrados: (61) 3387-4175; Fundação Bahia: (77) 99822-8593