May 14, 2010
Embrapa Releases New Soybean Variety Partially Resistant to Rust
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Embrapa announced the release of a new soybean variety that offers partial resistance to soybean rust. The new variety called BRS 7560 will be available for commercial production during the 2010-11 growing season. It does not offer complete resistance to soybean rust, so farmers will still have to occasionally apply fungicides, but the frequency of fungicide applications is expected to decrease. It is an early maturing soybean that is suited for the cerrado regions of central Brazil where soybean rust was a particular problem last growing season.
With the release of this new variety, soybean producers can now choose between three varieties that offer partial resistance to soybean rust. The partial resistance of these varieties is based on a single gene. Embrapa expects to release new varieties in coming years that contain multiple resistant genes that could eliminate the need for fungicide applications to control rust.
Planting of the 2010-11 Brazilian soybean crop is four months away and there are signs that some of the most popular soybean varieties may be in short supply. There could be a shortage of seed of the early maturing soybeans that were produced in Mato Grosso. Some of the seed fields ran into the same problems that affected the commercial production. There were periods of dryness during early flowering and then excessive rains during pod filling and harvesting. The heavy rains delayed harvesting and resulted in lower seed quality.
The Mato Grosso Soybean And Corn Producers Association are warning farmers to be careful about seed quality if they purchase soybean varieties produced in other regions of Brazil.