Variety Study Department (SEV)

Each year the SEV studies up to 2,500 new plant varieties across 50 field crop species, 50 vegetable species, and 10 ornamental species.

Missions

The primary mission of GEVES's Variety Study Department is to carry out field and greenhouse tests for all cultivated plant species. These tests are used for:

  • Registering a variety in the Official Catalogue of plant varieties
  • Protecting a variety with a Plant Variety Right
  • Varietal identification of commercial seed lots.

 

Three types of evaluations are carried out in accordance with EU regulations:

 

Furthermore, the SEV carries out methodological testing, generally in collaboration with public or private research companies. This research aims to improve methods used to describe and evaluate varieties. The SEV also participates in the training of French and international experts.

Resources and Organisation

The SEV’s 140 agents are spread over 5 main testing stations (350 hectares of testing surface, and 1 hectare of greenhouses). In addition, the SEV has a further 7 smaller units that are associated with INRA testing stations. The SEV management is based at GEVES’s headquarters in Beaucouzé, including the Secretary General of the CTPS.

 

See our testing station locations

International Cooperation

  • The common catalogue, created in 1972, is now defined as the sum of the national catalogues of the 27 member states. Varieties registered in one of these member states can then be marketed throughout the EU.
  • Plant variety rights are now recognised and implemented by 68 countries that have signed the international UPOV Convention.
  • Novelty criteria and DUS tests (not VCUS) provide the basis for granting plant variety rights, either in France by INOV, and in Europe by the CPVO, in accordance with the UPOV Convention.

Quality at SEV

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The SEV is certified to ISO 9001 for VATE testing since 2009.

CPVO Entrustment : GEVES is entrusted by the CPVO for DUS testing across more than 300 botanical species.

 

Contacts

Mr Georges SICARD Director of the SEV georges.sicard@geves.fr
Ms Virginie BERTOUX Secretary General of the CTPS virginie.bertoux@geves.fr
Ms Rachel TESSIER SEV Executive Assistant rachel.tessier@geves.fr
Mme Clarisse Leclair Head of DUS Coordination clarisse.leclair@geves.fr
Ms Carole DIRWIMMER CPVO Technical Liaison Officer carole.dirwimmer@geves.fr
Mr Fabien MASSON Head of VATE Coordination fabien.masson@geves.fr
Ms Camille DIRWIMMER
 International Cooperation Agreements camille.zitter@geves.fr
Ms Valérie CADOT Head of VCUS Bioagressor Resistance Testing valerie.cadot@geves.fr
Mr Jean-Philippe GALICHET Head of SEV Quality jean-philippe.galichet@geves.fr
Ms Yvane MERESSE
 Head of INOV yvane.meresse@geves.fr

 

Posted 11/23/2017 | Last modification 09/06/2019

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