O Sistema de Unidades Demonstrativas de Feijão - SUDF - como alternativa para o desenvolvimento da produção de feijão no Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

ood source of great importance in the Brazilian population diet, the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is grown preferably by family farmers in Rio Grande do Sul State. There are several reasons that lead to large-scale producers to have greater facility in accessing technologies released by research institutions, both public and private, in relation to family farmers. As so, in beginning 1990s, the common bean breeding team of Embrapa Temperate Climate, with the contribution of Emater / RS, the official extension institution, put into practice the Common Bean Demonstration Unity System - SUDF - enabling farmers to get acquainted with the new released cultivars by research, with the possibility of selection of those best suited to the environment of their farms.The Demonstration Unity – DU, was composeed by seventeen of the cultivars released for cultivation by research institutions located at Brazil’s Southern Region, as well as by the farmer’s cultivar, also the check cultivar. The plots consisted of four 4m-rows, with 0.50m between rows and a density of 12 seeds per meter. The SUDF was designed to be a dynamic methodology as to allow for the addition or elimination of cultivars annually according to the needs. DUs have been sown at all of the Emater- RS’s Administration Regions. So, the present work analyses seventeen of the cultivars derived from the research, plus one cultivar under use by the farmer, totaling eighteen cultivars. The cultivars available for research were: Rio Tibagi, Guateian 6662, FT 120, BR-Ipagro 1 Macanudo, BR-Ipagro 3 Minuano, Iapar 44, BR-Ipagro 35 Macotaço, BR-Fepagro 44 Guapo Brilhante, TPS Nobre (or FT Nobre), Diamante Negro, BRS Valente, Soberano and BRS Expedito, black seeded cultivars; and Carioca, Iraí, Iapar 31 and Pérola cultivars with differente seed coat colors. Results reveal that despite the fact that at each of the Administrative Regions distinct groups of cultivars were the most yielding ones, the cultivars BR-Ipagro 35 Macotaço, BRS Expedito, BR-Ipagro 3 Minuano, BRIPAGRO 1 Macanudo, Soberano e FT Nobre, black seeded, and Carioca and Iapar 31, of carioca type, have been mainly at the high yield group. Comparison between the farmer’s cultivar and the SUDF cultivars shows that at six of the twelve regions, at least one of SUDF cultivars outyield the farmer’s cultivar, opening the perspective of a common bean mean yield gain for Rio Grande do Sul. Key words: Ph