The purpose of these guidelines (“Test Guidelines”) is to elaborate the principles contained in the General Introduction (document TG/1/3), and its associated TGP documents, into detailed practical guidance for the harmonized examination of distinctness, uniformity and stability (DUS) and, in particular, to identify appropriate characteristics for the examination of DUS and production of harmonized variety descriptions.
These Test Guidelines should be read in conjunction with the General Introduction and its associated TGP documents.
1. Subject of these Test Guidelines 3
2. Material Required 3
3. Method of Examination 3
3.1 Number of Growing Cycles 3
3.2 Testing Place 3
3.3 Conditions for Conducting the Examination 3
3.4 Test Design 4
3.5 Number of Plants / Parts of Plants to be Examined 4
3.6 Additional Tests 4
4. Assessment of Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability 4
4.1 Distinctness 4
4.2 Uniformity 5
4.3 Stability 5
5. Grouping of Varieties and Organization of the Growing Trial 5
6. Introduction to the Table of Characteristics 7
6.1 Categories of Characteristics 7
6.2 States of Expression and Corresponding Notes 7
6.3 Types of Expression 7
6.4 Example Varieties 7
6.5 Legend 8
7. Table of Characteristics/Tableau des caractères/Merkmalstabelle/Tabla de caracteres 9
8. Explanations on the Table of Characteristics 37
8.1 Explanations covering several characteristics 37
8.2 Explanations for individual characteristics 37
9. Literature 38
10. Technical Questionnaire 39