S02 - Session O1 - Harmorescoll: Setting up an EU system for harmonized collections of reference isolates, controls and differentials to facilitate disease resistance testing

Authors: Nicolas Denance *, Ana Patricia Fernandez-Getino, Valérie Grimault, Raoul Haegens, Sophie Perrot, Dominique Rousseau, Bert Scholte, Loredana Sigill, Diederik Smilde

Plant breeding for resistance to pests is a commercial activity that benefits from a regulatory framework that promotes steady progress. In Europe, a significant part of this framework is applied by national variety examination offices and provided by the Community Plant Variety Office, CPVO. In particular, in the vegetable sector, disease resistances are commonly used as characteristics for establishing the Distinctness, Uniformity, and Stability ("DUS") of new varieties. Therefore, CPVO has published official protocols for resistance testing. Many of them have been harmonized between European countries and seed companies over the last 15 years. As a next step in this harmonization process, we now propose to improve information on the availability and quality of the most essential reference materials (controls, differentials, and isolates) for relevant vegetable crops. Harmorescoll project is funded by CPVO and involv es examination offices , accredited examination centres, seed companies, and trade associations . The inventory of the reference materials described in CPVO protocols and UPOV guidelines contains materials already available through existing initiatives (i.e . , IBEB, IWGP, MATREF, Plantum ), and some missing materials. A series of experimental validation s will be performed on prioritized pathosystems , respecting some criteria to consider the materials as a reference. Our aim is to build a new network by using the experience obtained in existing initiatives that serve the same purpose in different European countries. Harmorescoll wishes to become a user-friendly platform providing reliable information on reference materials for a given resistance test, and how to obtain it. The ultimate aim is to improve efficiency and trust in DUS resistance tests. Having a harmonized system ensuring access to high-quality reference material will be an asset for breeders worldwide to characterize vegetable genetic resources for disease resistance.