Brazilian wheat breeder Andre Rosa joins Aaron on this episode to share information about growing wheat in Brazil. Andre explains his connections to Kansas State University and provides his perspective on the future of wheat production in Southern Brazil.
(00:00) Welcome and introduction
(00:21) Andre's background and connection to Manhattan, Kansas
(00:48) The reason for Andre's visit to Manhattan
(00:54) Andre's experience living in Manhattan for his PhD studies
(01:20) Andre's fondness for Manhattan and the wheat community
(01:44) The founding of Andre's company Biotrigo in 2008
(02:01) The origins of Biotrigo and Andre's previous company
(02:27) The importance of Andre's training at K-State for Biotrigo's growth
(02:55) An overview of wheat production regions in Brazil
(03:35) Brazil's status as a wheat importer and exporter
(04:28) The logistics challenges of distributing wheat within Brazil
(05:00) The climate and growing conditions for spring wheat in southern Brazil
(06:02) The challenges of growing wheat in southern Brazil's wet climate
(07:01) The benefits of breeding wheat in disease-prone environments
(07:15) Fungicide applications for wheat crops in Brazil
(08:06) Typical crop rotations involving wheat in Brazil
(09:13) The planting and harvesting windows for spring wheat in Brazil
(09:54) The role of altitude in wheat production in Brazil
(10:36) A comparison of wheat quality goals between Brazil and Kansas
(11:47) Breeding efforts to address DON levels from Fusarium Head Blight
(12:40) The role of Argentine wheat imports in Brazil
(13:50) Opportunities for improving wheat trade with Brazil
(14:40) Andre's goal of expanding wheat production in the Cerrado region
(15:45) The challenges of growing wheat in the Cerrado region
(17:01) On-farm storage challenges for wheat in Brazil
(18:49) A new ethanol plant in Brazil using wheat as a feedstock
(20:13) Contracting wheat varieties for the ethanol plant
(21:50) The introduction of GMO wheat in Argentina
(24:17) Andre's perspective on the potential for GMO wheat adoption
(24:37) Collaborations and exchange of genetics in the wheat breeding community
(25:33) The differences between public and private wheat breeding programs
(27:22) Brazil's potential to be a major agricultural player globally
(29:57) The importance of long-term science funding for agriculture
(30:19) Closing remarks