Closing the Gap: Sustainable Intensification Implications of Increased Corn Yields and Quality for Second-Crop (safrinha) in Mato Grosso, Brazil

Abstract

Corn grown as second-crop (safrinha) immediately after soybeans contributes to Brazil’s recent sustainable intensification of efforts to land spare and reduce deforestation. Brazil’s Mato Grosso state is very important for corn production with a large number of available hybrids for producers with different characteristics. Evaluating as many hybrids as possible increases the likelihood of identifying those that are more productive. Our experiment used a randomized block design to evaluate 20 corn hybrids for yield and quality in the western Cerrado savannah region of Mato Grosso state. There were significant differences in silage quality and grain yield between hybrids. Silage quality was correlated with higher grain yield. Corn grain yields for 10 higher-yielding hybrids (average = 11,425 kg/hectare) were significantly greater than the two lowest yielding hybrids (6974 and 8207 kg/hectare) and 64% more than the 2020 average in Mato Grosso. Precipitation was not limiting during our experiment but may be in the drier Cerrado area and during other years. Higher silage quality with lower lignin content and higher in vitro digestibility can improve beef productivity as Brazil transitions from extensive grazing to more intensified systems such as pasture supplementation. Increasing corn grain yields in Mato Grosso can hedge against lower crop yields elsewhere.