EPAMIG prepares to start selling Conilon coffee seedlings in Minas Gerais

According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA), there are 292 municipalities in Minas Gerais suitable for the production of Conilon coffee, especially in the low and hot regions in the east of the state. With the aim of promoting and expanding the cultivation of this variety in Minas Gerais lands, the Agricultural Research Company of Minas Gerais (EPAMIG) is conducting research to test the adaptability of four Conilon cultivars to the state's conditions and multiply seedlings that should begin to be sold from November this year.

The project “Expansion of Café Conilon in the Eastern Region of the state of Minas Gerais”, financed by MAPA, provided for the installation of two clonal gardens in the Company's Experimental Fields in Leopoldina (MG) and Oratório (MG). After establishing a partnership with the Capixaba Institute of Research, Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (Incaper), EPAMIG acquired genetic material from the cultivars Centenária ES8132, Diamante ES8112, Jequitibá ES8122 and Marilândia ES8143, to carry out experiments to verify their performance. in the growing conditions of Minas Gerais.

“Despite the potential of Minas Gerais, there is still no material officially registered with MAPA with recommendations for the state. This makes it very difficult for producers who want to start growing Conilon, as they need to bring seedlings from other states, such as Espírito Santo. Therefore, the project also included the installation of nurseries, where we are multiplying the seedlings of these cultivars, to sell them to producers”, explains EPAMIG researcher and project coordinator, Fábio Tancredi.

According to him, the Company's goal is to produce around 200,000 seedlings in the nurseries set up in Leopoldina and Oratório and that the team is training the workforce to continue with the cultivation and meet demand. “Last year, we carried out a pilot project and have since produced around 10,000 seedlings of the Marilândia ES8143 and Diamante ES8112 cultivars, which will begin to be sold between November and December 2023. In fact, demand from producers has already begun and EPAMIG has already received several demands”, adds Fábio.

The researcher also recalls that EPAMIG is also involved in a genetic improvement program for Conilon coffee, with the aim of, in the future, registering genetic material with MAPA specifically adapted for the conditions of Minas Gerais. “We are advancing in this research and are approaching the next stage of improvement, which is the phase of identifying the genetic compatibility of each clone that we have tested”, reports Fábio Tancredi.

Source: CCCMG