São Paulo – Rice seeds developed in Brazil may be used by farmers in Africa. The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) has tested its seeds for tropical climates in Senegal and obtained revenues higher than those of cultivars already planted in the African country. In the near future, the Senegalese Agricultural Research Institute, Embrapa’s partner in the country, should send a request for homologation of the seeds to the National Seed and Plant Council. If the answer is positive, after being produced in the country, seeds will be cultivated by local farmers.
The initiative opens doors for Embrapa rice to be used by a large part of Africa, which has similar characteristics to those of Senegal, including Mauritania, which is an Arab country, Guinea-Bissau and Mali. Due to the similarities between the countries, there should be good performance there. The coordinator of the Project for Support and Development of Rice Farming in Senegal, João Batista Beltrão Marques, explains that the seeds were tested in Senegal Valley, in the North, in Podor department, which borders Mauritania. “All countries there have valleys, the seeds could be used by neighbours,” said Marques.
In total, four kinds of irrigated rice seeds were planted in Senegal, in four crops: BRS Tropical, BRS Biguá, BRS Jaçaná and BRS Alvorada. All showed good results, but the one with the best productivity, according to Marques, was BRS Tropical. It generated up to 11 tonnes per hectare planted. The local seed, in comparison, generated 10 tonnes. The crop was sowed in the line system, in which seeds are placed in the earth in a straight line, 17 centimetres apart. “
We showed that this system may also be more efficient for them,” said Marques.
In another three crops, the traditional Senegalese system was used, interplantation, with saplings. One of the crops generated 6.5 tonnes with the Tropical seed, against 5.9 tonnes in the local cultivar, another 7.3 tonnes, against 6.3 tonnes. In the last comparison, BRS Tropical was matched against a new local seed and had the same productivity, 5.5 tonnes per hectare. Marques explained, however, that there was gain in quality, as the rice grown there breaks more easily, while the Brazilian variety is long and fine.
The tests with the rice seeds are part of a project Brazil is developing in Senegal in the rice area, managed by Embrapa, with the support of the Senegalese Agricultural Research Institute and the Ministry of Agriculture of Senegal, in the name of the local government, and financed by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC), connected to the Foreign Ministry. Marques lives in Senegal to develop the project, which started being executed in April 2010 and ends in April next year.
Experiments were also made with eight varieties of dryland rice, but the crops were lost due to the drought in the South of Senegal, the most appropriate area for this kind of rice. With irrigated rice there will be a last test, in July, to further solidify the research. If the seeds are approved, Marques believes that Embrapa may abdicate from its right to royalties. “It is a significant contribution to Brazilian research and to the development of these countries,” said Marques.
*Translated by Mark Ament
