Organic Variety Testing
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Organic Variety Testing Qualitative content analysis approach to assess organic variety testing, case study of Germany Master’s Thesis by Kaja Gutzen Organic Agriculture and Food Systems Agrobiology Double Degree at Aarhus University 14th of June 2019 Organic Variety Testing Qualitative content analysis approach to assess organic variety testing, case study of Germany Master’s Thesis [30 ECTS] by Kaja Gutzen [201801238] Organic Agriculture and Food Systems Agrobiology Double Degree Aarhus University 14th of June 2019 SUPERVISORS and CENSORS JOHANNES RAVN JØRGENSEN TOVE MARIEGAARD PEDERSEN Associate Professor Advisor in Crop Production Department of Agroecology, Crop Health Organic Innovation Aarhus University SEGES Landbrug & Fødevarer F.m.b.A. LARS BONDE ERIKSEN SABINE ZIKELI Advisor in Grain Production Dr. agr. Plant Innovation Centre for Organic Farming SEGES Landbrug & Fødevarer F.m.b.A. University of Hohenheim COPYRIGHT STATEMENT I, Kaja Gutzen Born on 13/11/1991 Matriculation number: 201801238 hereby declare on my honor that the master’s thesis attached to this declaration has been independently prepared, solely with the support of the listed literature references, and that no information has been presented that has not been officially acknowledged. All parts of this work that were taken verbatim or in spirit from publications or outside communications are individually marked as such. Supervisors and censors: Johannes Ravn Jørgensen, Lars Bonde Eriksen, Tove Mariegaard Pedersen, and Sabine Zikeli Thesis topic: Organic Variety Testing I declare herewith, that I have transferred the final digital, not write-protected text document to my mentoring supervisors and censors and that the content and wording is entirely my own work. I am aware that the digital version of my document can and/or will be checked for plagiarism with the help of an analysis software program. Aarhus, 14/06/2019 PREFACE Acknowledgements I would like to thank Tove Mariegaard Pedersen. Her valuable advice and support have helped me immensely throughout the thesis-writing process. I would like to thank the whole Organic Innovation Department of SEGES for hosting me, and Bram Moeskops for giving me the opportunity to cooperate with the LIVESEED project for my thesis. I would like to thank Johannes Ravn Jørgensen for his supervision and the regular meetings which provided me with food for thought. I would like to thank Gerhard Deneken, Michael Fleck, Dr. Bertold Heyden, Dr. Wolfgang Karalus, Dr. Niklas Körber, Dr. Karl-Josef Müller, Uta Schnock, Gebhard Rossmanith, Dr. Hartmut Spieß, Dr. Peer Urbatzka, Ludwig Watschong and Carolina Wegner for their time and interesting interviews. They say that we not know anything That we are backwardness That our head needs changing for a better one They say that some learned men are saying this about us These academics who reproduce themselves In our own lives What is there on the banks of these rivers, Doctor? Take out your binoculars And your spectacles Look if you can Five hundred flowers From five hundred different types of potato Grow on the terraces Above abysses That your eyes don’t reach Those five hundred flowers Are my brain My flesh ~ José María Arguedas I TABLE OF CONTENT PREFACE ..........................................................................................................................................................I TABLE OF CONTENT .................................................................................................................................. II ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................................................................ IV LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................................ V LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................................... VII ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................................VIII 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 1 2. BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................................... 3 2.1. UPOV Convention........................................................................................................................ 3 2.2. Variety testing in Europe .............................................................................................................. 4 2.3. Variety testing in Germany .......................................................................................................... 8 2.4. Definitions .................................................................................................................................. 10 3. METHODOLOGY............................................................................................................................... 13 4. RESULTS ............................................................................................................................................. 17 4.1. Category system ......................................................................................................................... 17 4.1. EU definition of “organic varieties suitable for organic production” ........................................ 19 4.1.1. Genetic and phenotypical diversity ........................................................................................ 19 4.1.2. Organic breeding .................................................................................................................... 19 4.2. Breeding ..................................................................................................................................... 21 4.2.1. Material .................................................................................................................................. 21 4.2.1. Breeding goals ........................................................................................................................ 21 4.3. DUS testing ................................................................................................................................ 23 4.3.1. Organisation ........................................................................................................................... 23 4.3.2. Design .................................................................................................................................... 23 4.3.3. Testing criteria ....................................................................................................................... 24 4.4. VCU testing ................................................................................................................................ 26 4.4.1. Organisation ........................................................................................................................... 26 4.4.2. Design .................................................................................................................................... 27 4.4.3. Testing criteria ....................................................................................................................... 28 4.5. Post-registration testing .............................................................................................................. 29 4.5.1. Organisation ........................................................................................................................... 29 4.5.2. Design .................................................................................................................................... 31 4.5.3. Testing criteria ....................................................................................................................... 33 4.6. Alternative registration ............................................................................................................... 34 4.6.1. Organic heterogeneous material ............................................................................................. 34 4.6.2. Conservation varieties ............................................................................................................ 35 4.6.1. Amateur varieties ................................................................................................................... 35 4.6.2. Niche varieties ........................................................................................................................ 36 II 5. DISCUSSION ....................................................................................................................................... 37 5.1. Need for clarification of EU definition of “organic varieties suitable for organic production .. 37 5.1.1. Genetic and phenotypical diversity ........................................................................................ 37 5.1.2. Organic breeding .................................................................................................................... 38 5.2. Need for variety testing under organic conditions ..................................................................... 40 5.2.1. Agricultural crops..................................................................................................................