Francisco Vidal: Science and innovation in various fields

Researcher Francisco das Chagas Vidal Neto, also known to his colleagues as Dr. Vidal, a scientist of notable contributions, said goodbye this week to his colleagues from the Embrapa Agroindústria Tropical. He worked as an Agronomist, Master and Doctor of Plant Sciences from the Federal University of Ceará (UFC) in Embraba for 21 years. His path as a researcher began in 1982, when, on the recommendation of a master’s advisor, he began developing work focused on cotton cultivation in the Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária do Ceará (Epace). At Embrapa, he joined Embrapa in 2002, when he began his research in the Barbalha experimental field, at Embrapa Algodão (Campina Grande-PB). In 2008, he was involved in launching the BRS 286 cotton variety. “Working on this plant has been a great learning experience. The cotton crop is intensive, as we plant a new crop every four or five months. For me, that was very good,” the researcher comments on his experience over the six years he worked in the experimental field. The researcher arrived at Embrapa Agroindústria Tropical in September 2008. For the first few months, he carried out inter-unit activities, in order to ensure continued implementation Work he had left in his former home and improved by his colleagues.” When I arrived at the unit, I gave a presentation to CTI stating what I was doing in Embrapa Algodão and what were my ideas for developing new research aimed at genetic improvement, but with the cultures that worked here,” he highlights. Light A prominent role in cashew farming In 2010, Francisco Vidal started the cashew farming business in a transitional period.”Everything was changing. We had to renew the project and organize it in the best possible way. We wanted as much product sharing as possible. We had the idea to change the style of the project, to take it to more regions and producers. People who previously worked on cashew improvement left a lot behind, we just needed to expand.” Efforts can be recognized from the results obtained in the research. In cashew cultivation, the release of dwarf cashew tree clones demonstrates this. In 2022, for example For example, the researcher was involved in the team responsible for the launch of BRS 555, a dwarf cashew clone adapted to the mountainous regions of the semi-arid region that provided excellent production results. Social interaction and bond-making are also fruits cultivated throughout his career in Embrapa, says Vidal. On that is the way co-workers get to know him, both professionally and personally.Luis Serrano, a researcher at the unit, recalls his first experience with a colleague, in 2010: “Dr. Vidal received me on the first day of Embraba, and brought me home to this huge castle. With only seven days in Embrapa we made our first trip, to Piauí. Since then, there have been 12 consecutive years of travel, snagging roads throughout the hinterland of the Sierra, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco, and Maranhão. We have planted countless cashew groves, visited hundreds of rural producers, filled out dozens of spreadsheets, and evaluated thousands of plants.” Serrano also highlights lessons from each experience he lived alongside his colleague Vidal: “While accompanying him, I practically memorized Reproduction of the Embrapa dwarf cashew tree, from seed to adult plant in production. I can only thank him for the tremendous learning experience I had with such a great friend, and wish him the well-deserved rest in his recent retirement.” After 15 successful years in Embrapa Agroindústria Tropical, Francisco Vidal begins a new chapter in his journey. For him, his passing marks his passing. A shift in its people and the potential for renewal of the work carried out at Embrapa during this period.

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