Embrapa launches cultivars for starch production in Brazil

Embrapa Cerrados (DF) launched new cassava cultivars for the flour and starch industry. These are BRS 417 , BRS 418 and BRS 419 , the first specially developed for the conditions of the Cerrado in Central Brazil. They stand out for their high starch productivity - up to 30% higher than the most planted cultivar in the region -, for their architecture favorable to cultural treatments and mechanized planting due to the higher height of the plants and the first branch, as well as their moderate resistance to bacteriosis, the main crop disease in the Biome. The result of a participatory genetic improvement survey in 2012 and involving cassava growers, cooperatives and rural extension workers from different starch production hubs in the Cerrado, the materials will contribute to improving cassava farming systems in the region, in addition to enabling greater diversification of cultivars used by producers. BRS 417 has roots with a layout and size that facilitate mechanized harvesting. In ...