Assessing the Opportunities and Risks of DUS and VCU Variety Testing for Sustainable Production through SWOT Analysis Results

Nóra Mendler-Drienyovszki, Katalin Magyar-Tábori, Roberto Mancinelli (), Lisa Black, Hazel Brown, Mohamed Allam, Sripada M. Udupa, Mariam Atait, Elena Novarina, Tommaso Bardelli, Preben Klarskov Hansen, Paul Cottney and Anna Giulini
Additional contact information
Nóra Mendler-Drienyovszki: Research Institute of Nyíregyháza, Institutes for Agricultural Research and Educational Farm (IAREF), University of Debrecen, P.O. Box 12, 4400 Nyíregyháza, Hungary
Katalin Magyar-Tábori: Research Institute of Nyíregyháza, Institutes for Agricultural Research and Educational Farm (IAREF), University of Debrecen, P.O. Box 12, 4400 Nyíregyháza, Hungary
Roberto Mancinelli: Department of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, 01011 Viterbo, Italy
Lisa Black: Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), AFBI Crossnacreevy, Belfast BT6 9SH, UK
Hazel Brown: Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), AFBI Crossnacreevy, Belfast BT6 9SH, UK
Mohamed Allam: Department of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, 01011 Viterbo, Italy
Sripada M. Udupa: International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), P.O. Box 6299, Rabat 10112, Morocco
Mariam Atait: Department of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, 01011 Viterbo, Italy
Elena Novarina: Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification (CREA-DC), CREA-Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, 20133 Milan, Italy
Tommaso Bardelli: Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification (CREA-DC), CREA-Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, 20133 Milan, Italy
Preben Klarskov Hansen: TystofteFoundation, Teglværksvej 10, Tystofte, 4230 Skælskør, Denmark
Paul Cottney: Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), AFBI Crossnacreevy, Belfast BT6 9SH, UK
Anna Giulini: Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification (CREA-DC), CREA-Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, 20133 Milan, Italy

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 10, 1-30

Abstract: Within the European Union (EU), new plant varieties to be included in the Common catalog of a member state have to be registered on the national list after plant variety testing processes to establish whether the candidate variety is distinguishable, uniform, and stable (DUS) and meets the cultivation or use value requirement (VCU). Technical development, climate change, and changing consumer needs, including the detection of GMOs, necessitate the innovation of plant variety testing methods. In our study, we assessed new characters, testing methods, and inclusion of additional data for the potential to benefit the DUS and VCU protocols. To achieve our goal, we asked experts to fill in questionnaires for the DUS and VCU methods currently used for a selection of common crops, including potato, maize, lentil, oilseed rape, and perennial grass. Within the EU-funded “InnoVar” project, partners sent out questionnaires to 19 European Countries and to 3 countries outside Europe. Surveys were aimed at analyzing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of the current methods. With their help, it is possible to look for a new direction, opportunity, and strategy to incorporate, together with the innovative new techniques, into the development of the new methods. Our study demonstrated that the SWOT analysis could be used to achieve the set goals. Results obtained after evaluation of surveys confirmed that introduction of new characters such as cold tolerance, nitrogen and water efficiency, etc. has become necessary, as has the inclusion of new test methods (molecular markers, precision techniques, organic farming). The development of high-yielding, disease and/or pest-resistant plant varieties with good adaptability and the accurate evaluation of genotypes play a crucial role in ensuring that farmers can access high-performing plant varieties and contribute to sustainable food production.

Keywords: quality standards; sustainable production; yield performance; SWOT strategies; survey (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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