ASSESSMENT OF VARIETY VALUE FOR CULTIVATION AND USE (VCU)
The varieties of all agricultural plants (93 species) and industrial chicory, except of varieties of grasses not intended for growing fodder purposes, agricultural plant varieties which are intended solely for export to third countries, components of hybrid varieties and traditional varieties are officially assessed for their value for cultivation and use. The positive result of the VCU assessment of the variety is the precondition to enter it into the national list (NLI).
The VCU testing system is based on the results of field trials carried out in different regions of the country. The VCU trials are conducted as a one-factorial (variety) experiments in 3-4 replications or in some cereal species as two-factorial (pesticide treatment and variety) experiments in 2 replications. They are carried out in 4-15 locations depending on the economical importance of species. The field trial results are supplemented with the laboratory analyses and special tests.
Registration decisions are taken after two or three growing seasons.
Among the different criteria of the VCU assessment, the most significant ones are:
- yield and its stability,
- resistance to diseases and pests,
- tolerance to abiotic stress.