BP Bunge’s Pre-Sprouted Seedlings Center invests in more productive varieties to supply sugarcane

Currently able of producing about 3.4 million sugarcane seedlings per year, the Pre-Sprouted Seedlings (PSS) production center, located at the Moema unit, in Orindiúva (SP), develops a series of varieties focused on increasing productivity to serve the 11 units of BP Bunge Bioenergia, in accordance with the geographic, geological and climatic characteristics of each region.

Planting with PSS in sugarcane plantations guarantees health, traceability, and confidence in the origin of the material, which results in a sugarcane field with high productive potential. To safely and quickly introduce these high-quality varieties, planting is aimed at implementing meiosis parent cells.

“Our varieties are tested in each of the regions where we have a unit, and those that best adapt to the production environment are chosen, ensuring the adequate adaptation and, therefore, greater productivity, which is our main objective,” explained Rogério Bremm, Agricultural Director at BP Bunge Bioenergia.

The seedlings are developed with partners such as the IAC (Campinas Agronomic Institute), the CTC (Canavieira Technology Center), and Ridesa (Interuniversity Network for the Development of the Sugar-Energy Sector), in the search for varietals with specific characteristics for each environment.

Created in 2019, the PSS center expanded seedling production by 22% in its first year of operation, going from 2,809 million units to 3,424 million in 2020. The average unit cost of seedlings is up to 50% lower than that practiced by the market.

Recognition

In November 2020, BP Bunge Bioenergia’s Monteverde unit, located in Ponta Porã (MS), received the 2020 Excellence Award, given by the Cana Program – IAC (Campinas Agronomic Institute) for its prominence in the management of sugarcane varieties in the state.