| Abstract |
This CIMMYT Today presents the viewpoints of a cross-section of Brazil's major players in wheat research and production. The narrative begins with some history and a description of the current wheat status. Also included are profiles of the research institutions working to improve wheat production in key areas and their working relationships with CIMMYT. We go on to explore where and to what extent wheat production may expand. A number of Brazilian researchers and administrators point out that the advances in production technology, combined with the availability of vast tracts of unexploited arable land, suggest a huge potential for expanding the country's wheat production. However, the general consensus appears to be that the question of long-term self-sufficiency is, as usually is the case, fundamentally economic and political in nature, rather than simply technical. Due to the advanced nature of the Brazilian national program, it is well-positioned to effectively participate in international agricultural research. A proposed breeding partnership between Brazil and CIMMYT that will capitalize on the special skills of Brazilian researchers is under discussion. This may result in a Brazil/CIMMYT International Acid Soils Tolerance Screening Nursery, which will benefit many countries throughout the world that have acid soil problems. Many of the facts about early wheat research in Brazil have been gleaned from an English translation of The History of Wheat Improvement In Brazil by Mario Bastos Lagos, published in 1983 by the lnstituto do Pesquisas Agronomicas in Rio Grande do Sul as Technical Bulletin No. 10. |
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