A new onion cultivar developed by Embrapa research stands out, mainly, for the resistance of the bulb after harvest, ensuring greater durability and supply in off-season periods. BRS Prima was developed by Embrapa Clima Temperado (RS) and by Embrapa Hortaliças (DF), and will be officially launched on June 8th, during Reunion Cebola Technique, in the municipality of São José do Norte, the main region producer in the state and cradle of ceboliculture in the country.
Greater durability occurs due to high retention and thick thickness of scales (bark), a factor that protects the bulbs from fungi and bacteria and Provides greater storage and transportation tolerance. The durability post-harvest is also important to ensure scaling of commercialization to the producer, who can wait and overcome moments of low prices in harvests with production volume above expectations.
“In our region there is a window, in the off-season, between March and June. An onion like BRS Prima, with a good storage capacity, farmer is able to sell during the off-season and with this he can best prices. That’s why she comes to help”, says Daniela Leite, Embrapa researcher responsible for the material development.
The new cultivar still has a high percentage of standard bulbs commercial, preferred by consumers: reddish-yellow color and globular shape. These characteristics guarantee competitiveness in relation to other cultivars planted in the same region and guaranteeing a market for the onion from the southern region of Brazil, both from family farming and agribusiness.
Agronomically, BRS Prima is resistant to foliar diseases, due to the high waxiness of the leaves. “This represents less use of chemicals in Agriculture. In fact, BRS Prima has already been validated for organic production. Then, It is beneficial to the environment and to humans as well”, adds the researcher.
The cultivation of the new variety is recommended for the states of Rio Grande do South and Santa Catarina, where the material was tested and validated.
Onion is the third most economically important vegetable in the country, behind of tomatoes and potatoes, with production of around 1,5 million tons in 2020 and gross value estimated at 2,5 billion reais, according to data from the Institute Brazilian Geography and Statistics (IBGE). The main producing region is in the South, which accounts for more than 50% of national production, but the Northeast Region also has an important share in this volume.
Among the main producing states are Santa Catarina, with production of 420 thousand tons; Bahia, 224,8 thousand tons; and Minas Gerais, with 180,9 thousand t, still according to IBGE data from 2020. It is estimated that 70% of Brazilian ceboliculture comes from family labor, with hiring casual workers for planting and harvesting, in areas of up to ten hectares.
BRS Prima was developed from local genetic resources (creoles) from the Central Coastal Region of Rio Grande do Sul and stored at the Bank Germplasm Active (BAG) from Embrapa, which provides greater resistance to adverse conditions that may occur during cultivation: emergence of pests and disease and drought. Validation took place during five harvests, in Observation in the South of the country, in the municipalities of Pelotas (RS), Rio Grande (RS), Canoinhas (SC) and Chapadão do Lageado (SC).
The material originated from a cross between the cultivar Primavera, launched in 1992, and the local (creole) population of Pêra Norte, from way that the desirable characteristics of Pêra Norte bulbs (retention tall and thick scales) were transferred to the cultivar Spring, which stands out for its early cycle and the globular shape of bulbs. “We highly value the development of new cultivars from of local genetic resources”, says Leite.
In total, the development of a new cultivar takes between ten and twelve years, with the participation of research and the production sector. “We, at Embrapa, We are always adapting and looking for new materials. But it's always It is important to carry out participatory work, with farmers validating the material and indicating the important attributes for improvement, both of the point of view of both the producer and the consumer”, adds the researcher.
For the extensionist and head of the Emater/RS-Ascar office in the municipality of São José do Norte, Pedro da Silva Farias, the partnership with Embrapa it helps to improve the lives of farmers in the countryside. "It is good have Embrapa with us. Strengthens field work, because Emater is with producers, but there is no possibility of producing the technology. And this technology certainly qualifies our work and that of the farmer, which generates results directly on the properties”, he assesses.
One of the farmers who has contributed to BRS Prima assessments and other future onion cultivars is Rui Miguel Lemos, from the municipality of Tavares (RS), Central Coast of Rio Grande do Sul. It produces around 70 tons of onion, in an area of approximately three hectares. Despite the production diverse, livelihood comes from this culture.
In 2017, he tested and approved the material. “It’s incredible productivity and has a skin similar to that of the [variety] Bola Precoce. It is a tool to more for the producer, one more variety to have high productivity in the onion cultivation,” he declares.
Lemos, who is also president of the Onion Subcommittee in the State, is still has contributed to research, in the installation of an Observation Unit (OU) of onion. Along with seven other producers in the region, he will evaluate this harvest the performance of three commercial varieties, including BRS Prima, and one clone - material still being evaluated for release.
As it is open pollinated, the seed production of the new cultivar becomes easier, resulting in lower seed prices. In general, the BRS Prima sowing occurs in the months of April and May, with transplantation of seedlings in June and July, for harvest from November to December.
Seeds of the variety are sold by producers of seeds licensed through a permanent Public Offering Notice. For To be licensed, producers must be registered in the National Registry of Seeds and Seedlings (Renasem) as producers of onion seeds (Allium strain LL.).
In the last notice, seven producers were licensed for multiplication and marketing of BRS Prima seeds and four have already signed a contract by time. The respective contracts can be found on the cultivar page, on the Embrapa portal. Multiplication takes around two years, so the Seeds will be available to onion producers for the 2024 harvest.
Due to its high pungency (spiciness), BRS Prima is recommended for use in natura, as a condiment in cooking, and is rich in quercetin - natural substance, with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and certain types of cancer. Onion is one of the main sources of quercetin in the human diet. “Almost no one cooks without onions. It's part of the everyday flavor. And there is a very important social aspect in the family farming production chain”, concludes Daniela Leite.
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