News

   From April 28 to May 1, 2025, the third session of the Technical Working Party on Testing Methods and Techniques (TWM) of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) was held in Beijing, China. The event brought together representatives from UPOV member countries, international organizations, research institutions, and the private sector. The session was opened by Ms. Nuria Urquía Fernández (European Union), Chairperson of the TWM, and welcomed by officials from China’s Ministry of Agriculture and National Forestry and Rural Affairs.

   The participants focused primarily on innovative approaches for testing plant varieties for distinctness, uniformity, and stability (DUS). China presented a newly developed big data platform for managing and analyzing DUS trials, which includes statistical and image analysis tools. Another major topic was phenotyping and image analysis. Presentations covered a new method of evaluating eggplant fruit color using laboratory parameters, tools for measuring fruit size automatically, and a smartphone application to assess fruit shape and volume.

   A significant part of the session was devoted to molecular techniques and bioinformatics. Participants from Naktuinbouw (Netherlands) presented science activities at Naktuinbouw towards genotyping and phenotyping. Joint collaboration between UPOV, ISTA, and OECD was highlighted as essential for harmonizing terminology and methodologies.

   Legal and procedural matters regarding molecular data were also addressed, including the confidentiality of genetic information, protection of parental lines. Experts from Uruguay and Peru shared cases of usage of molecular techniques for enforcement.

   Participants also visited the Institute of Vegetable and Flower (IVF), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science in Beijing, observed the molecular marker laboratory and the experimental plots where image analysis was performed using a self-propelled analyzer. Also TWM visited the Chinese Academy of Forestry in Beijing, including the cultivation of new species of woody plants in laboratories with controlled environments and glasshouses.

   The session concluded with the adoption of the work plan for the coming year. The next TWM meeting is scheduled to take place in Cambridge, United Kingdom, in June 2026.

   Participants from UIPVE (on-line): Larysa Prysiazhniuk, Iryna Dikhtyar, Yulia Shytikova, Nadiia Lynchak.