Greenhouse vegetable production in

Brazil Current status and research needsCurrent status and research needs

Ítalo M. R. Guedes

Research Agronomist

Embrapa Vegetables

» Focus: 100% vegetable crops agribusiness

» Solutions: products, technologies and services

» From seed technology up to marketing

Vegetables in Brazil

Production value US$ 10 billion

Production 19.3 million ton

Total area 2.2 million acres

Yield 8.8 ton / acre

* 2010 ** direct and indirect *** IBGE, 2003

Yield 8.8 ton / acre

Jobs 7.3 million**

Availability 102 kg / inhab. / yr

Average consumption 30 kg / inhab. /yr***

Brazil – continental country

Source: M. A. Lopes

Adoption of different technology levels

Differences in technology adoption are due to regional diversity and growers profile

Management of physical environment

Control of microclimatic conditions

Internal conditions are poorly controlled – why?

Source: Braga, 2000

Management of physical environment

Energy distribution inside greenhouses

Energy distribution varies depending on greenhouse orientation

Disease management

Soil borne pathogens Methyl bromide use alternatives

» Crop rotation: cost or investment?

» Efficient alternatives to methyl bromide

» Soil organic matter management

» Integrated management

Soil and water management

Soil organic matter management Crop rotation

Soil and water management

Soil temperature in warm tropical areas

Influence on plant yiels, nutrition and health

Soil and water management

Inadequate soil management

Chemical degradation Physical degradation

Biological degradation

Soilless cultivation

The buildup of soil-borne problems(salination, diseases,physical degradation)

Photo by Dr. Gilmar Henz

physical degradation)has made somegrowers opt forsoilless cultivation.

Soilless cultivationSource: C. A. Lopes

Warmer tropical areas

High temperatures affect plant nutrition and health

Pythium infectedseedlings

Plant mineral nutrition

Extensive use of fertigation methods

Lack of data on nutrient requirements of modern cultivars

Chemical control of insect pests

» Resistance of arthropod-pests to conventional and biorational

pesticides (toxicological and biomolecular screenings)

» Side-effects of pesticides to beneficial organisms

Source: A. P. Moura

» Side-effects of pesticides to beneficial organisms

» Guidance of pesticides use to control arthropod-pests

Chemical control of insect pestsSource: A. P. Moura

» Re-entry time after pesticides spraying

» Pesticides spraying technology

Chemical control of insect pestsSource: A. P. Moura

» Sorption, degradation, and leaching of pesticides in soils

Crop breeding and adaptation

The focus has been mainly on evaluating the adaptability of cultivars to protected cultivation.

Crop breeding and adaptation

Desired characteristics for tropical protected cultivation

» High yield potential

» Large temperature variations

» High soluble solids contents» High soluble solids contents

» High nutrient and water use efficiency

» Lower light intensities

» Low wind velocity

Mechanization and automation

Brazilian population is concentrating in urban centers

Average income is rising

» Machinery adapted to operations inside greenhouses

» Planting, conduction and harvest

» Fertigation

» Temperature

» Relative humidity

» Is automation a viable solution?

Current projects

Embrapa vegetables has a team of researchers dedicated to protected horticulture

This team has research activities in several projects

» Water and nutrient requirements of melon under protected cultivation in the Cerrado region

» Tomato breeding program for value-addition and increased crop sustainability

» Lettuce breeding: improving crisphead and leaf lettuce lines with heat tolerance and resistance to LMV

» Introduction of a hybrid of determinate-growth tomato for industrial processing in the production chain

» Development of melon cultivars for internal and external market

Thank you for your attention!

Ítalo M. R. Guedesitalo.guedes@embrapa.br

+55 61 3385 9047Embrapa Hortaliças