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1998 South American Oat Research Review
Oat research programs were reviewed in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile from 26 October to 6 November 1998. The review team was Dr. D. D. Stuthman, University of Minnesota, Dr. R. D. Barnett, University of Florida, Dr. L. C. Federizzi, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, R. V. Trombetta, South American Agronomist and S. H. Weaver, Barrington. The team was accompanied by Jayme Souza and Rogerio Goncalves, Supply Chain, Porto Alegre and Sao Paulo, respectively. Dan Rank was able to review the projects in Brazil. Jose Luis Errandonea and Gaston Trewhela of Molinero El Globo accompanied us in Chile.
BRAZIL
The program in Brazil continues to be one of the most successful oat variety development and supply programs because of the close cooperation among the breeders, the suppliers and the Supply Chain management at the plant in Porto Alegre. Agraria, the cooperative at Entre Rios, is an excellent supply partner as well as research partner. This has been a very difficult year from a supply and research point of view because of a very wet year and the earliest rust infection on record. All of the oats had to be sprayed with fungicide at least one time and most oats received as many as three applications.
Agraria, the principal supplier of oats for Brazil and a research partner, has initiated studies to determine the causes of groat discoloration. In cooperation with the group at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), a proposal for $350,000 has been sent to the government seeking support for this research. Agraria is also studying the effect of date of planting on the spread of fungal diseases including rusts and alternaria. These studies should be useful in the control of rust and seed discoloration caused by alternaria and other saprophytic organisms. For the first time, oat crosses that were made at Agraria are being advanced for further performance testing. Until now, most of the material that they have tested has come directly from the Quaker International Oat Nursery (QION). The Agraria material looks very promising and should lead to new, locally adapted varieties that are high yielding and tolerant to some of the fungal diseases.
To complement the disease research conducted by Agraria and UFRGS, the University of Passo Fundo (UPF) plant pathologist is conducting experiments with seed and foliar treatment for the control of fungal diseases that affect grain yield and quality. They have found that there is 6-7% less disease infection with the seed treatment. This is significant in slowing the spread of the infection. Upon completion of the experiment, they will do a cost/benefit analysis which will be made available to researchers and farmers. In another experiment, they are attempting to control the cost of foliar applications of fungicides by using one third of the normal rate. In so doing, they have been able to maintain a moderate level of disease control and have reduced the costs. Because of the extremely early infection of rust, three treatments were required, but the cost is based on one full-strength application plus the application costs. A cost/benefit analysis will be performed upon completion of the experiment. The cost of production is estimated to be $200 per hectare without fungicide. However, the cost is $250 per hectare using the recommended rate of fungicide. The UPF is increasing seed of a large number of lines from their own crosses for further testing. A number of these lines have aluminum tolerance which is important for use on acid soils in Brazil. The situation is very similar to that at Agraria where these lines represent their own crosses and not material directly from the QION. Tremendous progress is being made with respect to being able to make their own crosses and incorporating the good qualities found in the QION with locally adapted material.
At the UFRGS research station, the major genes for crown rust resistance were tested for their effectiveness. This test involved 32 genes for resistance which represent the most widely used resistance genes in North America. They were all susceptible to crown rust infection. However, a Minnesota line, MN841801, suspected of having partial or slow rusting characteristics appeared to be very tolerant. This was a very clear demonstration that the use of major genes will not provide durable resistance to the disease and that slow rusting genes have remarkable potential to provide adequate protection. Dr. Federizzi and his colleagues are trying to identify markers for the slow rusting genes. They are also identifying markers for grain quality traits such as test weight, 1000 kernel weight, groat % and absence of tertiary kernels. This will improve the efficiency of incorporating these traits into new varieties. The incorporation of these genes into new varieties will increase the farmers grain yield and our milling efficiencies. Dr. Milach is developing a transformation system in oats with the ultimate objective of inserting antifungal genes from other species into oats. This is another method of protecting the crop from foliar diseases such as crown rust and diseases that cause discoloration of the grain.
The area planted to oats in Brazil continues to increase mainly because oats are an excellent winter cover crop to reduce soil erosion and very useful in breaking the disease cycle in other crops such as wheat and corn. The new varieties that were released from these research programs have helped to foster the spread of the crop. Additionally, Quaker is able to purchase good quality oats at a reasonable price.
ARGENTINA
The northern Buenos Aires Province seed company, Don Mario, is cooperating with Trombetta and Federizzi to promote oat production in the area. This is primarily a corn, soybean and winter wheat production area. However, the corn and wheat losses due to diseases are substantial and oats in rotation can help the situation. Consequently, Don Mario is paying, in-kind, with land, equipment and people to cooperate with the Quaker group to evaluate varieties and develop a management package for use by the local farmers. Additionally, they are multiplying the seed of Dr. Federizzi’s variety, UFRGS 16, for sale to local farmers because of its rust resistance and good grain yield. They will supply the Barracas Plant with 2,000 tons of UFRGS 16 at a price equal to the wheat price. This is substantially less than the current market for oats which is about 10% over the wheat price. The will deliver 25% per month from December through March with no storage charge. Don Mario is in a joint venture with Glencore, a large export company. Soybeans are the principal export crop, but they would like to develop other markets in oats and corn. Consequently, we may be able to develop an alternative oat production location at very little cost and have good quality oats to purchase for Argentina, Brazil (as a back-up) and for other locations as required. Don Mario plans to develop the market slowly and carefully to the level of 5,000 tons per year. At that point, they would like to expand rapidly. However, if the business is not there, they will probably drop the oats business entirely.
Rogerio Goncalves and Jayme Souza are interested in evaluating corn from Don Mario for use in Buenos Aires and in Porto Alegre. Samples will be sent to both locations for quality evaluations. If the quality is satisfactory, Jayme and Rogerio may pursue the purchase of corn from the area through the Don Mario/Glencore JV. I anticipate that the quality will be good, but the cost of transportation will be a major factor in determining the net cost at each of the plants. Gerardo Bartolome of Don Mario and the corn breeder will be in Chicago in early December for the American Seed Trade Association meetings. I will arrange a meeting with Jean Sussman and Bruce Roskens to discuss corn and oat quality and purchasing opportunities.
In contrast to the wet weather in Brazil, La Nina has caused the situation in Argentina, Uruguay and Chile to be very dry with above normal temperatures. Consequently, there was very little rust development noted at the Barrow experimental station in the southern part of Buenos Aires Province. There were two new varieties released from this station as well as two from the INTA station at Bordenave. All these varieties came from the QION. There are a number of lines in the advanced and preliminary tests that appear to be very productive and have great potential from a yield and quality point of view. Dr. Federizzi has had a very positive impact on the productivity of the Argentine programs because of his teaching skills and being an excellent team member and leader.
The research review team visited the INTA research station at Parana in the province of Entre Rios in Argentina. There is an excellent team of scientists here who are interested in cooperating with Quaker in the development of forage oat varieties. I informed them that we have no interest in breeding oats for forage. However, they are willing to screen the QION for disease reaction in their environment and make crosses with the most resistant material. Basically, if they can find good resistance for forage oats, it will work well for oats used for grain. Currently, there are over 500,000 hectares of oats in the region. If these oats had resistance to crown rust, they would not serve as innoculum for the major oat growing areas to the south. They want to initiate a breeding program, but without financial support, I do not think they will be able to run a meaningful program. We suggested that they seek funding from producer groups and seed companies. We will watch the development of the situation and determine the best options for Quaker.
URUGUAY
The team made a brief stop at the INIA station at La Estanzuela near Colonia, Uruguay. There is a very active and capable team of oat researchers there, but they breed specifically for forage. Again, this does not meet our needs. However, they have an interest in developing oats for grain. Calprose is a local seed company that is trying to market UPF varieties from Brazil. They are also testing several of the UFRGS lines which demonstrate reasonable tolerance to crown rust. If the program at La Estanzuela can develop and commercialize rust resistant oats, it will be beneficial to Quaker by minimizing the innoculum in the area and by sharing resistant germplasm with the other South American oat breeders. The team will consider funding rust research at La Estanzuela and at Parana where the local pathologist can form a team with the breeder. This would help identify rust resistant lines for forage and for grain resulting in less innoculum for Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina.
CHILE
This is the driest year since 1995 at the Carillanca research station. In 1995, the oat yields were about half of what they were in 1997, which was an excellent year for October and November rainfall and temperature. The test weights and groat percentages were adversely affected in 1995. The conditions in 1998 are very dry, but not critical at this time. However, without rain in the near future, 1995 oat production and quality might be repeated.
The breeding program at Carillanca is progressing very well. New varieties do not need to be developed so rapidly in Chile because there are no diseases there and the varieties do not need to be changed as frequently as in diseased areas. The newest variety, Urano occupies about 30% of the oat area. It is the leading variety in percent groat. However, Llaofen, which is an old variety, still occupies about 60% of the oat area. These varieties yield very well under normal circumstances. The good farmers will apply about 90 units of nitrogen and 110-120 units of phosphorus per hectare. The cost of production is about $500 per hectare.
Errandonea and Trewhela from Molinero El Globo, the Quaker licensee in Chile, indicated that they are very pleased with the research program in Chile except that Quaker is the only company supporting the oat research. Errandonea will contact several other companies and try to get them to contribute to the oat research program. It is mutually beneficial for all to participate. El Globo is completing a new oat mill near Temuco, Chile. If they could get some of the groat business for Colombia and Venezuela, they would be very pleased. The new mill should allow them to be more efficient in their manufacturing process, but the high cost of the oats in their area may not make them competitive. USGP-Purchasing is discussing possible groat purchases with El Globo.
GENERAL COMMENTS
Dan Rank will communicate with the South American Supply Chain that a clear regional sourcing strategy would be very beneficial to directing the oat research. Trombetta and Weaver will supply Dan with a budget that reflects the changes within the former IGP. Weaver will send a copy of the Quaker Quality Oat Definition to Porto Alegre. Perhaps they will be able to use it or share it with the breeders to help in the evaluation of the advanced oat lines for milling quality. This definition is very useful for the North American mills, but may need to be modified to meet the specific needs of the South American mills. Trombetta and Federizzi will be visiting the INTA station at Bordenave, Bs. As. in a week or two. Their mission is to decide if we should continue the program there or not. The major issues center around their willingness to cooperate with the other South American researchers and their willingness to include emphasis on the development of new varieties for grain. The focus at this station has been on the development of double purpose oats. Double purpose oats are used for grazing during the winter months and then allowed to regrow to produce grain. The grain yield and quality are usually not equal to oats grown specifically for grain.
If anyone receiving this report has any questions, comments or corrections, you are welcome to let me know at your earliest convenience.
Sam
S.
H. Weaver
Principal Scientist
Grain Research