Sunflower and Soybean Section: new registrations, regulatory developments and ongoing projects

At its meeting on 20 November, the Sunflower and Soya Section of the CTPS proposed the inclusion of eight new sunflower varieties in List A and three varieties in List B. Among the new varieties proposed for inclusion, three varieties have been awarded the “Oil +” label.

The Section participants were briefed on regulatory developments, CTPS news and the results of the 2025 sunflower campaign. Sunflower areas have fallen below 700,000 hectares and yields (estimated at 22.7 q/ha) are below the five-year average. The Section noted the growing gap between the varieties registered in France and those planted in France. In particular, 50% of the varieties planted in France are herbicide-tolerant varieties (VTH), whereas there is only one VTH variety in the French Catalogue’s List A.

The Section validated the changes to the technical regulations and sunflower protocols and gave its opinion on the methodological considerations currently under discussion in relation to sunflower DUS and VSCU. The work carried out this year with experts and experimenters will enable a one-year DUS to be proposed in 2026, instead of two years, for sunflower varieties deemed to be uniform and distinct at the end of their first year of study, and a reduction in the quantities of seed required for registration. Work has also been initiated to measure the isoflavone content of soybean varieties.

The Section was informed of the ongoing notification of a sunflower MHB (Heterogeneous Biological Material). This case has mobilised the CTPS’s sunflower DUS experts and the CISAB (Inter-Section Commission dedicated to Organic Agriculture). It is the second case of this type to be studied in France.

Two projects were presented to the section: MiecmaK (MIldew Epidemiology and Characterisation by Molecular mArKer), which began in 2025, and HeliABEL, a project currently being set up on the environmental characterisation of sunflower varieties.