After registration: descriptive and recommended variety list
Extra testing of the varieties AFTER inclusion on the Belgian variety list is required to test the characteristics of the varieties under specific exploitation conditions and to study regional influences. Together with official tests for the national catalog of varieties, these extra tests form the base for the descriptive and recommended variety list that ILVO publishes every year.
What?
The descriptive and recommended variety list provides an overview of the agricultural valuation of all varieties of the forage crops and green cover crops included in the Belgian national variety list. The variety comparisons are based on trial field data from the period 1985 to the present.
Why?
The list is drawn up annually with the aim of correctly informing farmers about the characteristics of all varieties included in Belgium and in particular of the newly admitted varieties. On the basis of this variety list, they can objectively choose the varieties that best meet their farm-specific needs.
There is a great need for a recommended list of varieties, especially for forage crops that are consumed on the farm. This is due to the fact that it is difficult to form a picture of the yield and quality of the harvested product.
The variety lists are also a particularly important instrument in the context of the European single market. They are unique documents that provide objective and reliable information about the behavior of the new varieties under our Belgian climatic and ecological conditions.
How does it work?
The information in the descriptive and recommended variety list is based on the results of the pre-registration culture and use value trials with additional post-registration trials, so that data from at least three trial years with six to seven trials per year is processed.
- In the description, the results of all varieties from the Belgian variety catalog are given, so that new and older varieties can be compared at a glance.
- Varieties with a favorable assessment for the main agricultural characteristics are selected for recommendation.