Performance of Conventional and Transgenic Soybean Cultivars in the South and Alto Paranaiba Regions of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare transgenic and conventional soybean cultivars in regard to yield performance and agronomic traits. Six soybean cultivars were tested: three conventional cultivars and their three isogenic transgenic derivatives, in two locations, Lavras and Patos de Minas in Minas Gerais, Brazil, in the 2012/13 crop season. Data on yield (kg &middot ha ^-1 ), plant height (cm), and tolerance to lodging were collected. The cultivars had different responses. The cultivar BRS/MG46 Conquista had lower yields than its isogenic derivative BRS Valiosa RR, but this was not seen with the conventional cultivar M-SOY 6101, which produced more than its isogenic derivative M-SOY 7211 RR. Between the isogenic cultivars BRS/MG68 Vencedora and BRS Favorita RR, there were no significant differences. Nevertheless, the contrast between the mean values of the transgenic and conventional cultivars shows that the conventional cultivars had mean values greater than the transgenic cultivars.