Resistant crop varieties are a central building block for integrated crop protection concepts. The testing of candidate varieties for their susceptibility to pests and diseases is anchored in the German Plant Protection Act as a task of the institute. In many cases, growing a hardy strain is the only way to counteract certain pests like viruses, bacteria, or nematodes.
In other cases, growing resistant varieties can significantly reduce the use of crop protection products. This makes it one of the most important instruments for minimizing the use of plant protection products to what is known as the necessary minimum.
Standardize, check, assess - cooperation with the Federal Plant Variety Office
The use of the resistance of the different varieties presupposes that this property is tested comparatively under standardized conditions. We carry out these tests in climatic chambers, in the greenhouse or outdoors. In coordination with the Federal Plant Variety Office, we test grain types, potatoes, rapeseed and sugar beet for their resistance to harmful organisms. We are also involved in the development and further development of these tests.
Our results are included in the classification of the varieties in the Descriptive List of Varieties by the Federal Plant Variety Office.