Inovation and Specialty Maize Breeding for Market Niches in the State of São Paulo

Abstract

Maize is one of the most harvested cereals on the planet. In Brazil, it is the country’s second largest grain production after soybean, with a large portion of production destined for animal feed. During the 2019/2020 harvest, 35% of total maize production was exported, 9.5% was destined for industrial processing and only 1.1% for human consumption. Specialty maize are those grains that are not destined for the dry grain commodities market, but have various other uses and are destined exclusively for human consumption. Specialty maize are also considered as an alternative profit source for farmers. From a plant breeding standpoint, maize is greatest example of success when it comes to the exploitation of heterosis and therefore most of the investment in genetic breeding done by private companies is in the development of simple GMO single-cross hybrids. In today’s market, there are rarely any specialty maize cultivars available, creating a niche for public funded research and development centers to exploit with their conventional type cultivars. This article discusses the relevance of the specialty maize market niches and the role of the Maize Genetic Breeding Program of Instituto Agronomico (IAC) in the development of innovations in São Paulo through the launch of conventional cultivars aimed at small and medium producers and niches of specialty maize.

Genetic Improvement in Popcorn

“…A three-way hybrid developed by the Agronomic Institute of Campinas (IAC), with orange and pearl type kernels, high PE (>45 mL g -1 ), and yield (>4.500 kg ha -1 ) (Paterniani et al, 2020).…”

“…). It has a light yellow kernel and stands out with high resistance to foliar diseases and Pratylenchus brachyurus nematode (Paterniani et al, 2020).…”

UENF WS01: popcorn hybrid with water use efficiency for the State of Rio de Janeiro

“…Brazil is the second largest producer and consumer of popcorn worldwide. Its production is expanding mainly in Mato Grosso (MT) and Goiás states (Paterniani et al 2020). Among the Brazilian states, only MT has official records, which reached over 220 thousand tons in 2019 (Kist et al 2019.…”

“…Among the Brazilian states, only MT has official records, which reached over 220 thousand tons in 2019 (Kist et al 2019. It represents more than 70% of the total popcorn produced in the country (Paterniani et al 2020).…”

“…Despite the increased popcorn demand, production is still limited by a small number of Brazilian popcorn cultivars (Bombonato et al 2020). Most popcorn seeds used in Brazil are imported from the United States and Argentina, which increases production costs (Paterniani et al 2020).…”