OR SEED BREEDING COMPANY [p. 16]

Rua João Battisti, 71 - Passo Fundo, RS-CEP, 99050-380, Brazil.

A. Rosa, O.S. Rosa, and O. Rosa-Filho.

Wheat production in Brazil almost doubled in 2003 compared to 2002. The increase to more than 5 x 10^6^ tons of production is explained mostly by excellent weather conditions but also is due to a small increase in acreage and the availability of responsive technology. Eventhough Brazil continues to be a big wheat importer, it exported about 1 x 10^6^ tons in 2003-04. Exporting wheat was an important achievement that allowed production to continue to be economically attractive at a production range of 5-6 x 10^6^ tons.

A wheat leaf rust laboratory for the identification of races and virulence was recently installed to supply information to the OR breeding program. The emphasis is on durable resistance.

OR has released four cultivars in the last 2 years. In 2003, Pampeano and Safira were released for the state of Rio Grande do Sul and, in 2004, Supera and Vanguarda were released for the state of Parana. The release of Pampeano (ORL91274/ORL93807//ORL95711's' (ORL95711's' = BR35//BR14*2/Sumai#3/OR1)) has been expected by farmers since 2000, when it showed excellent resistance to scab. Safira (PF9099/OR1//Granito) is an important improvement in terms of yield over currently grown cultivars such as Rubi and Ônix while maintaining the bread-making quality of these two cultivars. Supera's (PF9099/OR1) main attribute is its excellent yield performance. Vanguarda is an OR1 backcross and replacement, offering advantages over OR1 in grain quality and various agronomic attributes.

The cultivar Onix (CEP24/Rubi), released in 2001 for cultivation in Rio Grande do Sul and Parana, has performed well from southern Argentina (37 S) to central Brazil (Cerrado; 15 S). In 2003, Onix became one of the most cultivated materials in Rio Grande do Sul (28 S). Currently, about 20 % of Brazilian wheat production is based on OR cultivars.