From the Straw Cereals CTPS Section
The Straw Cereals Committee of the CTPS (French Permanent Technical Committee for Plant Breeding) met on 22 January in Paris under the chairmanship of Thierry Berlizot.
The Committee approved the minutes of the meeting held on 23 October 2025 and validated the proposals for inclusion in the French national list of 3 spring oat varieties, 9 spring barley varieties (including 8 for malting purposes) and 2 winter barley varieties for malting purposes. Two winter barley varieties registered in October 2025 have also been transferred to the “malting use” category. The Committee validated the classification of new winter barley varieties within the existing CEPP (Plant Protection Product Saving Certificates) action sheet for barley and was informed that work has begun on developing a CEPP action sheet for triticale.
The Committee took note of 47 new applications for spring cereals (including 41 for spring barley). It was informed of ongoing European work on the revision of the barley DUS protocol (ring test 2025–2026) with first-year results highlighting the need for harmonisation for several characteristics.
Regarding VSCU (Value for Sustainable Cultivation and Use) testing, rice standard varieties were validated and the validation timetable adjusted for next applications. For common wheat, the Committee noted the schedule for revising quality classes and the progress of the nitrogen survey. For barley, the modification of the spring barley testing network was validated. Discussions also addressed autumn-sown spring barley and the Committee decided not to initiate specific work at this stage.
Several research projects were presented including ongoing European projects IPMorama and PHENET, as well as projects submitted under the CASDAR “Knowledge” (ENVIROTEAM and TRITICORE) and finally the ABBLE 2 programme currently under development. These projects focus on improving evaluation methodologies, characterising varietal performance and adapting cereals to sanitary and environmental challenges. The Committee also discussed the increasing issue of ergot and emphasised the need for combined agronomic and technical measures.
The Committee was further informed of regulatory developments (NGTs, PRM, genetic resources) and of work by the CTPS Scientific Committee relating to climate change.
The next meetings will take place on 21 July 2026, 23 October 2026 and 21 January 2027 in Paris.
