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Acai is one of the main fruits consumed in the state of Acre, being one of the major brands of the state, however, much of its production is removed from açazeiros in a forest environment.
Acai may have a large increase in production depending on the results of the search/photo: reorganization
As a way to better understand the plant and enhance its growth and production in a land area, Professor of the Federal University of Acre (UFAC), Leonardo Souza, spoke about the project in partnership with Embrapa Acre, which is headed for his fourth year.
He explains that the study being conducted refers to the management of single acai irrigation.
“In nature we observe that it is demanding in water because she likes a humid soil, so thinking about this commercial scale in a land area we need to irrigate the plant, and when it does this we have the possibility of producing the fruit in the off -season, when the price is up there, you have no offer and have the demand,” he explained.
The teacher continues to say that the research aims to determine the most effective amount of water for the irrigation of acai, observing its development in different water replacement scenarios: without irrigation; with 25% irrigation; with 50% irrigation; with 75% irrigation; with 100% irrigation; and with 125% irrigation based on reference evapotranspiration.
About the research time and the possible results, the teacher explains that this is a pioneering and long -term work, and that in all the process should take about seven years until the first production.
“Our first harvest will be done after seven years since planting. The first year of the research was conducted by an undergraduate student, Marcia Chaves who made her monograph with the data collected for the first year of plant development and is now a doctoral student in the UFAC postgraduate program, the academic Julia took over in the second and third year,” he says.
The teacher who leads the research explains that the plantation time of the plant can decrease, giving the first crop before ordinary time/Photo: Vitor Paiva/Contilnet
Julia Luiz, 22, has been following the project since 2023, when she was still undergraduate, in the Agronomic Engineering course.
Now, in the master’s degree also in the UFAC Postgraduate Program in Agronomy, she continues the research and talks about some difficulties faced during the research process.
“For the açaizeiro variable we studied had no concrete data yet, so we had no correct hypotheses, we would have to find out through treatments with different water replacement levels and each of the treatments compares in a way and, moreover, comes the question of vegetative development in the plant that varies its concentration of resources according to its establishment.”
The young woman also explains that besides her, and Márcia Chaves, who started the project, other students were very important for the continuity of the research and leaves a special thanks to them.
“I wanted to thank the mechanization laboratory team that accompanied me during 2023 and 2024 Ruan Cézar Kockzinski, João Pedro Cavalcante, Flavia Brilhante, Livia Rocha, David Nascimento, Guilherme Calado, Kelysomar Olivencio, Cathariny Rocha, Thiago Chalub, Mário Gabriel, among others. Cassimiro who is also guided by Professor Leonardo and follows closely from the beginning, ”he said.
Julia Luiz (from Rosa to the Center) accompanied the project in the last two years/Photo: Cedido
Professor Leonardo also explains that, as a way to protect acai plants from high levels of solar radiation in their early years of cultivation, banana trees are planted between acaizeiro plants, enabling partial shadowing and adding a source of income for the producer while the main product develops.
“O açaí que nós plantamos aqui, o solteiro, ele foi implantado num espaçamento de 3m por 3m. Nós inserimos a bananeira, porque o açaizeiro solteiro é muito sensível à radiação na fase inicial então nós fizemos o plantio da bananeira que tem um crescimento rápido”, explicou, enfatizando que as pesquisas realizadas pela Embrapa (que é a principal instituição parceira da pesquisa) com sombreamento foi fundamental para a continuidade do project.
“In the first year we have already taken a banana crop, we already had two harvests here, we are in the third. This adds to production, as it generates a reduction in planting costs and maintenance of the crop, because you will reap the acai when it is seven years,” he explains.
The research teacher states that the next step will be the removal of banana trees, as the acais have already grown enough to resist solar radiation and develop properly.
Finally, Souza explained that due to the speed of growth of some copies, there is a possibility that the time stipulated so that the acai rods are lower, and may reduce to six or five years, but it is not yet possible to state this accurately, despite being a possibility.
The teacher also thanks all the students who collaborated and are collaborating in the development of the research, without the support of this team it would be very difficult to perform the activities.
