Together with national and international companies, organisations and governments we share our knowledge and expertise to promote learning and innovation. We participate in various international projects in our fields of expertise, such as inspection, testing and Plant Breeders’ Rights.
Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, there is a high demand from local farmers for good onion seed from local OP varieties. However, there is no robust inspection system in place, which means a high number of poor quality seeds on the market. Global development partner SNV asked Naktuinbouw to share its knowledge of inspections with the local authorities in Ethiopia. If the national authorities have a sound system of official controls, this will ultimately benefit companies that want to produce seed in Ethiopia. Naktuinbouw visited Ethiopia to assess the situation. In November we trained seed inspectors. The project was funded by SNV.
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan has huge potential as a trading nation and for the production of agricultural and horticultural crops. Kazakhstan's main goal is to improve fruit production. To achieve this, healthy propagating material is essential. Since the end of 2021, Naktuinbouw has cooperated with Kazakhstan on the Certification of Fruit Crops project. In 2022 we organised three different training courses. In June the participants learned about viruses in soft fruit and the certification process of raspberries was also central. In August the topic was the certification of apple trees and in September two experts were trained at the laboratory. The government of Kazakhstan funded the project.
A good system of Plant Breeders’ Rights and inspections is also vital. As part of a PVP Toolbox project, we provided training on Plant Breeders’ Rights and DUS testing in Kazakhstan in August. The participants were highly motivated to learn what this involves. Kazakhstan wants to join the UPOV. The Netherlands is considered to be a model country in this respect. In October, on behalf of Naktuinbouw, the UPOV and the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) a delegation visited Kazakhstan to bring attention to the Plant Breeders' Rights system.
PVP Toolbox
The PVP Toolbox is the framework for projects that highlight the importance of Plant Breeders' Rights and knowledge of this subject. The main demand for the Toolbox projects is from agricultural councils. ‘Tools’ including training, visits by delegations to the Netherlands, participation in the Plant Breeders Rights’ for Food Security and Economic Development training course, were used during the projects. The Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) provides funding for the PVP Toolbox.
Toolbox project Zanzibar
In December we provided training on Plant Breeders’ Rights and DUS testing in Zanzibar. Zanzibar and Tanzania have been members of the UPOV since 2015. However, due to the partially independent status of Zanzibar, there are separate treaties for Plant Breeders’ Rights. There are also two Plant Breeders’ Rights offices, one for mainland Tanzania and one for offshore Zanzibar. As the current number of applications for Plant Breeders’ Rights is still low, there are few opportunities to invest in technological developments. The training course therefore focused on increasing awareness of the importance of Plant Breeders’ Rights to boost the number of applications. The participants were very impressed by the successful, well-organised system of Plant Breeders’ Rights in the Netherlands.
Toolbox project China, Japan and Mexico
Establishing legal protection for new plant varieties is one aspect, but ensuring this protection is enforced and respected is a different matter and one that requires additional effort. Naktuinbouw, together with the Japanese, Chinese and Mexican Plant Breeders' Rights authorities, supported various activities that targeted the sector and the authorities so that enforcing Plant Breeders' Rights in these countries can become more effective and efficient.
Philippines
The Philippines is working to establish a National Seed Technology Park (NSTP). The government of the Philippines asked the Dutch embassy whether the Netherlands could contribute its knowledge and expertise. In August, representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) and Naktuinbouw visited the Philippines as part of a two-year collaborative project. The visit was intended to define the details of the project activities and visit the facilities in the Philippines. All the relevant stakeholders in the project were visited and the project was explained. The subjects and activities for the next two years were also discussed. The Dutch Enterprise Agency (RVO) funded this project.
Nigeria
The ‘Collaborative Seed Project’ is a four-year initiative that started in 2021. It contributes to the ‘Nigeria-Netherlands Seed Partnership’. The goal of this project is to develop the seed sector in Nigeria. Naktuinbouw is contributing to the work package that focuses on Plant Breeders' Rights. DGIS and EKN Abuja funded this project.
EU Projects
OAPI
OAPI (l’Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle) focuses on granting Plant Breeders' Rights in 17 French-speaking African countries. These countries have a common system of Plant Breeders' Rights. Obtaining Plant Breeders' Rights is possible, but rarely used in these countries. As a follow-up to the 2019 EU project, Naktuinbouw welcomed two African OAPI delegations in June 2022. The purpose of these two visits was to share and exchange knowledge on Plant Breeders' Rights and technical DUS testing. The project was funded by the EU.
TAIEX missions to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Naktuinbouw participated in a regional workshop to inform local authorities and organisations in the Caribbean region about the UPOV principles of plant variety protection (PVP) applications. We also introduced UPOV tools to simply the management and maintenance of PVP systems. To ensure efficient use of resources, the experts recommend cooperation between countries in the region. They also advise regional cooperation on Plant Breeders' Rights to use the UPOV e-PVP modules. The project was funded by the EU.
INVITE
The EU is financing a European project aimed at, among other things, phenotyping of plant varieties: INVITE. This is a five-year research project that focuses on improving value for cultivation and use (VCU) testing and distinctness, uniformity and stability (DUS) testing. The emphasis is on developing new measurement and analysis methods. Nine countries are participating in the project. The focus in the Netherlands is setting up a fast, cheap method to automate the measurement procedure of a number of external traits. Naktuinbouw's contribution to the project is image analysis, DNA and making data available.
We consider it vital to be able to perform DUS and VCU testing as reliably and efficiently as possible. This project contributes to that aim. We are focusing on representative crops that are important in the Dutch situation, such as potatoes, perennial ryegrass, wheat and tomatoes. We are cooperating closely in this project with partners including the CPVO, GEVES France and Wageningen University & Research (WUR). Naktuinbouw supplied data for Lolium perenne (perennial ryegrass).
To investigate the possibilities of automatic image analysis, we looked at DUS testing in tomatoes. Three variety traits of tomato were selected and various cameras were tested. Using a smartphone with a technique called Simultaneous Localization And Mapping, or SLAM, to create 3D images turned out to be the best option. Image recognition software installed via an app is used to assess and score the images.
CPVO Projects
In May, Naktuinbouw was visited by a delegation from the CPVO (Community Plant Variety Office). It is always positive to regularly welcome our client for European Plant Breeders' Rights research in the Netherlands and to show them how we perform DUS testing and the related (substantive) developments.
In 2022 we cooperated on various research projects aimed at improving variety testing, such as the development of an SNP marker for hemp and tomatoes. These projects were co-funded by the CPVO.
Tanzania
This project aimed to draft the ‘Terms of Reference’ of a potential Tanzania-Netherlands Seed Partnership platform to address problems in the Tanzanian horticultural seed sector and improve productivity, create employment opportunities and boost foreign exchange earnings. Naktuinbouw also facilitated talks with various Tanzanian authorities to create awareness of bottlenecks in the regulations for seed importers. The expected effect of the project was to promote political will for exemption from DUS testing for multiplication of ‘Open Pollinated Varieties’ (OPP) of horticultural crops intended for re-export. This project was funded by SeedNL.