(Photo: a shot from the yield monitor of the combine, harvesting wheat in the Southeast of Buenos Aires Provincie)
Buenos Aires, February 13th. The last wheat harvest was a success. Farmers around the country collected 19.1 million metric tons, reaching a new national record. But this success is not based in the expansion of area, as in the improvement of yields.
After analyzing the data collected by many farmers, Don Mario Development Manager, Jerónimo Costanzi, was satisfied. In some cases, the yield monitor of the combines peaked more than 10,000 kilograms of wheat per hectare using Don Mario’s varieties.
This seed company based in Chacabuco (Buenos Aires Province) is long recognized as a leading soybean genetic developer. But in the last years, it is increasingly positioned as a top wheat genetic supplier too. “Currently, we are the leading wheat seed company in the country, with a 40% of market share. Our top varieties, Algarrobo and Ceibo have been planted in more than 2 million hectares last campaign”, Costanzi told to www.eFarmNewsAr.com.
The combination of many factors last season made it possible that farmers collected amazing yields. “The betters yields were achieved in the Southeast region of Argentina, that is the more typical wheat production zone, due to the high yield potential. But this year, a moderate dry winter delayed a month the occurrence of the yellow rust attack. The crops grew more healthies and vigorous and this was translated in higher yields”, Costanzi explained.
On the other hand, better wheat prices, versus urea prices stabilized, permitted to farmers to use more nitrogen doses than in the previous campaigns. This factor not only improved yields but sustain high the protein content too.
“The good news is that in the last years, farmers left defensive strategies to take more aggressive ones. They are looking for high yield, quality and healthy genetic, they are using higher fertilizers doses and using more crop protection chemicals too”, Costanzi expressed, “and all of this it is expressed in the yield monitor of the combines”.
The Don Mario official remarks that Algarrobo is a long cycle variety, with high yield potential, and with “French blood” in its genetic. While Ceibo is a short cycle variety, with its origin in Brazil.
Next March, in the Expoagro fair, Don Mario will present two new varieties: Ñandubay, a middle-short cultivar, and Audaz, another short cycle cultivar, with high yield potential and high quality.
