The Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) recently approved the application for the additional trait "Resistance to ToBRFV" for use in tomato DUS (Distinctness, Uniformity, and Stability) research. Naktuinbouw describes this approval as "a significant step in introducing resistance to the dreaded tomato disease ToBRFV into the market."
Naktuinbouw, in collaboration with Geves, submitted the application because several new tomato varieties were morphologically identical and could only be differentiated by their resistance to ToBRFV (Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus). Since resistance to ToBRFV was not included in the existing CPVO protocol, it could not be used for DUS research on tomato varieties until now.
ToBR-Ag Project
The protocol to test tomato varieties for resistance to ToBRFV is the first tangible outcome of the "ToBR-Ag project," a CPVO-funded initiative aimed at developing a resistance test against ToBRFV, among other objectives.
The approved testing protocol was developed based on preliminary results from the ToBR-Ag project. This project will continue to refine the protocol to ensure that companies and examination offices, like Naktuinbouw, can conduct ToBRFV resistance testing in a standardized and harmonized manner.
Implications for Admission and Breeders' Rights
With the CPVO's approval of ToBRFV resistance as an additional characteristic, it is now possible to gain admission or plant breeders' rights for tomato varieties that are morphologically identical but differ in their resistance to ToBRFV.
For more information:
Naktuinbouw
[email protected]
www.naktuinbouw.nl