Research evaluates wheat potential in new areas in the Northeast

Field trials conducted by Embrapa seek to evaluate the potential and viability of wheat cultivation in areas of the new agricultural frontier called Sealba, which covers 171 municipalities in the coastal and rural areas of Sergipe, Alagoas and Northeast Bahia.

On the 23rd and 26th of June, experiments with wheat were planted in the municipalities of Porto Calvo and Anadia, in the Alagoas Coastal Tabuleiros. The trials use tropicalized cultivars BRS 264 e BRS 404, among others, which have stood out most in areas of the Federal District, Goiás and Minas Gerais. 

The activity is led by the researcher Lizz Kezzy de Morais, from the Research Execution Unit of Rio Largo (AL), linked to Embrapa Tabuleiros Costeiros (Aracaju, SE), and is part of the project 'Genetic improvement of wheat for Brazil 2017-2021', under the leadership of Embrapa Trigo (Passo Fundo, RS).

The objective is to evaluate phenological, agronomic and yield characteristics of cultivars, in addition to the technological quality of grains and flour, focusing on the expansion of tropicalized wheat in the country, which has not yet managed to achieve self-sufficiency in this product, importing half of what it consumes.

Import dependence

In 2019, Brazil produced 5,23 million tons of wheat, according to IBGE data, but still imports at least 50% of what it consumes, being one of the five largest importers in the world, exceeding 6 million tons brought from other countries . 

“The existing deficit between volume produced and volume consumed leaves the country vulnerable to massive imports, with great dependence on imported wheat”, explains Lizz Kezzy. 

The Brazilian wheat-producing states (RS, SC, PR, SP, MS, GO, MG and DF) apply the entire result of their production to their own consumption, with no remainder for transfer to other states, with the exception of RS and PR. The Northeast imports 100% of the wheat it consumes, coming from Argentina, Uruguay, the United States and Canada. 

“Thus, in order for Brazil to increase its production and reduce its dependence on imports, there is a need to expand the agricultural frontier and study new adaptation regions, such as some states with a tropical climate”, adds the researcher.

The new Secretary of Agricultural Policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, Cesar Halum, sworn in on June 22, believes that research is essential for increasing productivity in agricultural regions, and that wheat has a strategic role in strengthening new regions .

Grains in new regions

Embrapa has contributed to research to strengthen grain cultivation, especially in new regions with agricultural potential. Territorial intelligence studies conducted in partnership with research institutions and the production sector made it possible to identify and delimit Sealba, with its great agricultural potential for grain cultivation. 

In Alagoas, 74 municipalities are described, which present different soil and climate conditions, creating opportunities and challenges for new crops in the region. The tropicalized cultivars developed by Embrapa – BRS 264 and BRS 404 – have achieved high productivity, with results above 4000 kg/ha in exploratory trials conducted in 2019 in Anadia.

“These materials have a shorter genetic cycle, and the ability to adapt to regions with tropical climates with low rainfall, and can become a cultivation alternative for Sealba, specifically for the growing areas destined for grains in Alagoas”, concluded the researcher .