Genetic improvement is increasingly present in all agricultural activities, increasing the quality of products consumed by Brazilians. For rural producers, technological advances provide a greater harvest without so many expenses and providing the long-awaited profit.
The novelty, now, is on account of a super-early bean, developed by Embrapa, and which is harvested almost 30 days before the common varieties.
According to the researchers, the faster harvest is not the only advantage. The variety provides greater productivity, cost reduction and more resistance to pest attack.
In this article, we will show the evaluation of those who opted for super early beans. First, see the importance of this agricultural activity for the Brazilian economy.
Brazilian is the world’s largest consumer of beans
One of the most consumed typical dishes in the country is the famous “rice and beans”. According to IBGE research, it is the third most preferred food by Brazilians, behind only coffee and rice.
The country is responsible for 90% of the beans produced in Mercosur, with an average annual production of 3,6 million tons in the last four years, according to CONAB data. This amount places Brazil as one of the largest producers in the world. And that’s not all: we are the largest consumer of beans in the world.
To meet this demand, around 15 varieties are grown in Brazil. Carioca beans occupy almost half of the planted area in the country, followed by black beans, with 20% of the crop. The plantations are mainly concentrated in the states of Paraná, Minas Gerais, Goiás and Mato Grosso. There are three annual crops that occur during the “water”, “drought” and “winter” period.
As we have seen, beans are an important food for Brazilians and, therefore, deserve a lot of attention from researchers. Get to know a little more about this super-early variety that promises to revolutionize the market, providing faster cultivation and good productivity.
Super early beans show good results
Until then, the bean varieties on the market were of early or semi-early cycle, with an average cultivation of 90 days. It took four years of research by Embrapa technicians to arrive at the super-early variety (BRS FC104).
Launched two years ago, it now presents the first results that are celebrated by producers. The accolades are many: it reduces the harvest period to 65 days and with a high productivity (almost 3,8 thousand kilos per hectare), low cost of cultivation, greater resistance to diseases, good grain quality and nutritional performance.
Super-early bean crop, a new variety developed by Embrapa. Photo: Sebastião Araújo.
By having a shorter cultivation cycle, the super-early beans reduces on average 30% the costs with water and electric energy in the irrigated systems. There is also a lower number of pesticides spraying because the harvest takes place before the period of highest pest incidence.
In some regions of the country, such as Mato Grosso, producers cultivate the cowpea variety because it is more drought tolerant. The super-early beans may be the new option because the planting, when done until the first fortnight of March and harvested almost 30 days earlier than the normal harvest, there will be no risk of losses caused by the prolonged drought period.
The same occurs in the winter crop, in which it would not be possible to extend planting with a variety with a common cycle for a long time, due to the risk of the harvest occurring in the rainy season and of disregarding the sanitary void. The super-early beans can be planted until the second half of July and harvested at the appropriate time.
No video below, agronomist Hélcio Umeno, one of those responsible for seed production in BRS FC104, highlights gains in economy, productivity and management of the new variety:
Source: Embrapa
According to Embrapa, the efforts of specialists are aimed at producing super-early black beans, from selected grains of the BRS FC104. Tests will be carried out to evaluate this seed under different conditions in Brazil.
Main features of super early beans:
- Plant is harvested in 65 days, well before the 90 days of traditional beans.
- It has high productivity, with an average of 3,8 kilograms per hectare.
- Water and electricity costs in cultivation are about 30% lower.
- It is more resistant to bean diseases.
- It produces high quality beans that are well accepted by the consumer.
- With reduced production time, the number of pesticide applications decreases.
- With less time in the field, beans face fewer risks, such as suffering from pest seasons and drought periods.
Therefore, genetic improvement in the bean crop has brought a series of benefits to producers. Visit the MF Rural website and discover our marketplace, which provides the best options for selling your crop.
