New wheat cultivar developed by Embrapa has high production potential

Launched at the beginning of this month, a new wheat cultivar stood out in field tests carried out over the last three harvests. Developed in partnership between Embrapa and Fundação Meridional, the new BRS Coleiro presented adaptation to different growing conditions, good industrial quality and gains in grain productivity. “We hope to promote the cultivation and commercialization of this cultivar for the different winter production systems in the recommended regions”, explains Manoel Carlos Bassoi, researcher at Embrapa Soja (PR), informing that the material is recommended for the states of Paraná, São Paulo and Santa Catarina.

In Paraná, the average productivity of BRS Coleiro, in the experiments, was 4.922 kg/ha, 5.624 kg/ha and 4.083 kg/ha, in the three indication regions (1, 2 and 3, respectively). On the other hand, the average productivity of farmers in Paraná, in the 2023 harvest, was 2.560 kg/ha, according to a survey by the National Supply Company (Conab). The name of the cultivar comes from a Brazilian bird, the coleiro (Sporophila caerulescens), much appreciated for her singing.

Launch

Embrapa Soja, the Rural Development Institute (IDR-Paraná) and the Meridional Foundation promote Winter Field Day, on August 9, at the IDR-Paraná headquarters, when the launch of BRS Coleiro will take place. 

High productivity also in São Paulo and Santa Catarina

In Santa Catarina, the average productivity of BRS Coleiro was 6.959 kg/ha and 4.468 kg/ha, in the two indication regions (1 and 2), while the average productivity in the field, in the 2023 harvest, was 2.150 kg , according to Conab. The performance of the BRS Coleiro experiments, in São Paulo (region 2), was 5.555 kg/ha, while the state's average production was 3.050 kg, according to Conab. “These numbers reinforce the excellent production potential of this launch. BRS Coleiro was developed to favor producers who want high productivity in the field”, highlights Bassoi.

The new cultivar has medium size, wide adaptability and grain yield stability in Paraná, Santa Catarina and São Paulo. The medium cycle for heading (64 days) and early cycle for physiological maturation (111 days) are characteristics that attract producers, as they provide better availability of the sowing window and planning for the soybean harvest.

Bassoi explains that BRS Coleiro has extra hard grain and technological quality of the improver class, with high gluten strength and flour with good stability. This indicates that the grains can be used in the production of pasta, in the manufacture of industrial bread, traditional “French bread” and also in mixtures with weak flours. “Another highlight of this launch is the health of the plant, which has good tolerance to lodging and blight, being resistant to powdery mildew and moderately resistant to Fusarium head blight and leaf spots”, says Bassoi.

In 2024, Fundação Meridional will complete 25 years of partnership with Embrapa Soja. “We couldn’t celebrate in a better way than launching a simply excellent wheat cultivar”, highlights Henrique Menarim, CEO of Fundação Meridional. “Its high production potential, associated with excellent industrial quality, reveals BRS Coleiro as a new level in genetic improvement. We have high expectations regarding market share growth in the next harvests”, adds the executive.

Ralf Udo Dengler, executive manager of Fundação Meridional, highlights aspects of the new cultivar that will impact profitability and sustainability. “BRS Coleiro has important adaptation and health characteristics in its genetics, which enable the optimization of the use of fertilizers and fungicides. Furthermore, its superior industrial quality should also be a differentiator when the grains are sold”, predicts Dengler.

Learn more about wheat

Wheat is a basic component of human nutrition. Its flour is widely used in making bread, pasta and biscuits. The quality of the grain produced determines its use by industry. “The classification carried out is based on the gluten content, which determines the volume and consistency of the dough, or technically, the “elasticity of wheat flour”, explains Bassoi.

Genetic advances

Over the last two decades, advances in the genetics of wheat cultivars have brought improvements, both in grain quality and ease of crop management. The characteristics of the cultivars favor both the milling industry (bread, pasta and biscuits) and the animal protein industry (meat, milk, eggs). “Today we have BRS cultivars of bread-type and improver-type wheat to meet the demands of the market in the southern region of Brazil. These cultivars can be used in the manufacture of bread and in weaker flour mixtures”, says Embrapa technology transfer analyst Rogério Borges.

According to him, research has also improved technologies such as crop rotation, adequate soil management, integrated pest control, chemical disease control and agro-climatic zoning, which support wheat production, minimizing the risk of losses. “Wheat is a crop of great importance for the sustainability of grain production. The fact that its cultivation takes place in the autumn and winter months represents an opportunity for farmers to improve the quality of the soil, increase their income and dilute the fixed costs of the property”, says Borges.

Fx Market

The area sown with wheat in Brazil was 3,4 million hectares, in the 2023/2024 harvest, with a production of 8 million tons, according to a survey by Conab. Paraná (3,6 million tons) and Rio Grande do Sul (2,8 million tons) account for 75% of national production.

Regarding domestic wheat consumption, in Brazil, in the 2023/2024 harvest, 12 million tons were used, with the need to import the cereal to meet domestic demand, according to a survey by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).