M
ore than 80 percent of Bra-
zil’s rice crop is produced in
Rio Grande do Sul (71%) and
in Santa Catarina (9.1%), of
a total of 12.3 million tons
harvested in the 2016/17 season. In spite
of yields of upwards of 7.9 thousand kilo-
grams per hectare, one of the highest in the
world, the fields do not yet achieve the ge-
netic potential of the varieties. One of the
explanations, according to the technical di-
rector of the Rio Grande do Sul Rice Insti-
tute (Irga), Maurício Fischer, is the low use
of certified seed. In Rio Grande do Sul, only
45 percent of the area is seeded to official
genetic seed. The average in Brazil remains
below45%. Ideally, it should be 80%.
The use of saved seed, or even pirated
seed, in 55 percent of the cultivated areas is
the reason for the rice field infestations by
weeds resistant to herbicides. “The contam-
ination caused by red rice in pirated seed
makes the fields unviable after a few crop
years, reduces productivity and raises pro-
duction costs”, says Fischer. A portion of the
riceproducedinRioGrandedoSulandSanta
Catarina is destined for Mercosur countries,
andtheremainingpartisforBrazil,according
to Luiz Carlos Machado, from the Rice Seed
Producers Nucleus, linked to the Rio Grande
do Sul Association of Seed and Seedling Pro-
ducers (Apassul). The nucleus produces an
amount big enough for the cultivation of 750
thousand hectares, but only 500 thousand
hectaresoccupy this seed in theState.
The rice farmers in Rio Grande do Sul
also use seed from the National Agricultur-
al Technology Institute (Inta) in Argentina,
of the Santa Catarina State Rural Extension
and Agricultural Research Enterprise (Ep-
agri), RiceTec and the Brazilian Agricultural
Research Corporation (Embrapa). In Mato
Grosso and Tocantins, the use of official ge-
netic seed is lower. And, besides the Embra-
pa cultivars, there is demand for seed fur-
nished by AgroNorte Pesquisas.
n
n
n
n
A question of quality
Under propermanagement, the quality of the seedmakes a difference in the final result. This input represents 1.5 percent of the
production cost and boasts a high productive potential and resistance to diseases, it is free from weed contamination or diseases
and is segregated, meaning that there is no risk of any mingling with varieties of different cycles or contaminated, thanks to strict
distribution and control measures. Rodrigo Schoenfeld, Researchmanager at Irga, understands that the biggest challenge of the re-
searchers and extension agents consists in convincing the farmers to surmount the cultural factor that restricts the use of certified
technology in exchange for saved of pirated seed. “Due to the failure in complying with this principle, that farm fails tomake use of
efficient technologies for keeping weeds and diseases under strict control. The same holds true for the profits”, he warns.
Hand
forgrowth
Rice
fieldsdonotyetachievethegeneticpotentialofthe
varieties,andthereasonliesinthelowuseofcertifiedseedinBrazil
Sílvio Ávila
24
soltinho
loose rice
Produção brasileira de sementes
de arroz (Todas as categorias)
Estimativa, julho de 2017.
Fonte:
Coordenação de Sementes e Mudas -
CSM/DFIA /SDA/Mapa.
Safras
Toneladas
Área
2016/2017
914.518,38 29.578,72
2015/2016
237.190,31 30.806,30
2016/2016
29.823,30 8.790,00
2015/2015
16.472,15
4.739,00
