Adaptation of evaluation criteria to changing agriculture practice in maize and their impact on variety registration

The past 50 years in agriculture a lot of progress was realised for yield, harvest security, disease resistance and quality. This was due to a combination of factors such as high input of fertilizers, availability of pesticides, better varieties in combination with an adapted crop husbandry. However nowadays under intensive agriculture in several European countries, for example silage and corn maize, a lot of negative aspects occur (N- and P- losses to ground water, loss of biodiversity, smaller rotations, higher disease pressure, lower soil fertility and soil structure). For agriculture in the future these negatives aspects have to be minimised but a high productivity has to be maintained for the cost- effectiveness. An important question hereby is: Are the actual cultivated crops such as maize (with in most cases a restricted variety assortment) adapted for this new evolution or do we need other crops- other types of varieties?
In the European Community, a new variety of an agricultural crop must submit official trials for DUS (Distinctness, Uniformity, Stability) and VCU (Value for Cultivation and Use) before commercialisation. The guidelines for those tests are summarized in the European directive 70/457/EU (1970), revised in 2002 (2002/53/EU). To offer the best varieties to the market the aim of the VCU-research should be to predict the agronomical and technological value of a new variety on a reliable way in comparison with standard varieties.
Variety research, especially the VCU test, lies between agricultural practice and breeding. The evaluation criteria are based on the most important characteristics for agricultural practice; they can push the breeding companies in a certain direction. On the basis of criteria for release of new varieties, variety research can contribute to a more intensive ecological agriculture, and anticipate on new situations. New criteria for maize varieties can be: better nutrient efficiency (lower input of fertilisers in practice), early vigour and cold tolerance in spring, drought tolerance, quality characteristics and disease resistance. Before new criteria are incorporated, their impact on variety release has to be studied.
For the criteria for evaluation it is important that there is a good equilibrium between parameters for yield, harvest security (resistance to lodging and stalk rot), disease resistance and quality. The choice of the standard varieties is also very determining for the level of admission.
In this presentation the different aspects for future variety testing for maize (silage and corn) and which parameters have to be judged in the framework of an intensive ecological agriculture will be discussed.

Keywords: maize, variety testing, agricultural practice, criteria