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By Ana Mano
SAO PAULO, March 7 (Reuters) – The Brazilian government’s agriculture research agency, Embrapa, plans to expand testing of a variety of drought-resistant, genetically modified wheat as Brazil aims to become more self-sufficient in the staple crop.
In an interview with Reuters, Embrapa Chief of Wheat Research Jorge Lemainski said on Tuesday that in addition to testing the transgenic materials in the Cerrado region of Brazil, Embrapa also aims to plant them in Minas Gerais state as part of efforts to observe the adaptability to tropical conditions of the GMO wheat seeds developed by Argentina’s Bioceres BIOX.O.
Last week’s landmark approval for the planting and sale of GMO wheat in Brazil means Embrapa can test the wheat designed to resist water stress in more corners of the country, Lemainski said.
This will allow Brazilian researchers to see how the plants behave under different conditions, putting the country’s farmers closer to planting GMO wheat on a commercial scale, he added.
The ideal time to sow the drought-resistant seeds is between March 1 and April 10, Lemainski said. However, he noted that Brazil still has not enough GMO wheat seeds for large scale testing.
Some four years of research would be necessary to evaluate adaptability of GMO wheat to Brazilian tropical conditions, Lemainski added.
Embrapa’s first trials began around this time last year.
(Reporting by Ana Mano; Editing by Paul Simao and Sandra Maler)
((ana.mano@thomsonreuters.com; Tel: +55-11-5644-7704; Mob: +55-119-4470-4529; Reuters Messaging: ana.mano.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
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