Meeting of the UPOV Technical Committee

At the end of October, the UPOV Technical Committee in Geneva discussed the contributions of genetic resistance traits in DUS studies. The Technical Committee’s mission is to draw up technical documents contributing to the harmonisation of DUS tests among UPOV members and technical cooperation in DUS testing.

This Technical Committee took note of the reports of the technical working groups by species group meeting in 2024. The report from the group on fruit species (TWF), chaired by Carole Dirwimmer (GEVES), highlighted the current and future discussions on the number of growing cycles for fruit crops, with the aim of speeding up the conclusion of DUS studies, without reducing their quality.

The Technical Committee also received the conclusions of the subgroup set up to review the format of the DUS Test Guidelines and the evolution of the Test Guidelines Drafting Tool, drafted by crop experts within the Technical Working Parties. As a result, it was agreed that UPOV would organise a webinar for Leading Experts before the end of the year to answer frequently asked questions and common challenges related to the use of the Test Guidelines Writer Tool.

The Technical Committee had an open discussion on disease resistance characteristics in DUS trials. GEVES gave a much-appreciated presentation reminding us of the value of these DUS characteristics, whether for structuring reference collections and reducing the number of varieties in the field in our comparison trials, or as an additional distinguishing characteristic for vegetable species, but also for certain agricultural species.

With over 70 participants on site in Geneva from all 5 continents, this Technical Committee meeting was an opportunity to catch up with colleagues from all over the world and to meet new people.