Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116 Page 117 Page 118 Page 119 Page 120 Page 121 Page 122 Page 123 Page 124 Page 125 Page 126 Page 127 Page 128 Page 129 Page 130 Page 131 Page 132 Page 133 Page 134 Page 135 Page 136 Page 137 Page 138 Page 139 Page 140 Page 141 Page 142 Page 143 Page 144 Page 145 Page 146 Page 147 Page 148104 / SEEDWORLD.COM DECEMBER 2016 Strong Seed. Healthy Grain. PETKUS. PETKUS Innovations – We supply your solutions Reduce dust abrasion Improve germination capacity Increase cleaning efficiency Minimize kernel stress Boost processing performance Raise economic profits www.petkus.com TEcHnoloGY | InnovaTIon | EnGInEErInG | SErvIcE Marymar Butruille of Monsanto explains that the UPOV system of plant variety protection came into being with the adoption of the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants by a diplomatic conference in Paris Dec. 2, 1961. The examination, or “DUS Test,” distinguish distinctness, uniformity and stability, is based mainly on growing tests. The examination generates a description of the variety, using its relevant characteristics (plant height, leaf shape, time of flower- ing), by which it can be defined as a variety. This is sometimes presents challenges for PVP offices as industry continues to put forth novel varieties for protection that don’t necessarily always visually distinguish themselves from others. The uniqueness could be in oil type, yield, drought resistance, nitrogen efficiency or any other number of benefits. Because soybeans are so important throughout the Americas, the working group is looking at how and if molecular markers can be used to distinguish new varieties. Butruille says that this has been a multi year project for the U.S. team because there are so many discussions that need to happen and protocols that need to be determined and agreed upon. WHERE ON THE WEB f you want to get involved in SAA or learn more about its work, visit SAAseed.org. “This is the most important standard for advancing the international movement of seed, and I’m cautiously optimistic it will be approved at next year’s IPPC conference.” — Inés Ares “We started discussions last year and will continue those throughout the winter,” Risso says. But both Butruille and Risso agree that progress in this area, even if it is slow, is better than no progress at all. Risso says that when working at the international level, you have to reset your expectations. “Nothing happens fast,” he says. “It takes making the right contacts, bringing the right people around the table and working to understand each other so we can create win-win situations.” As part of its continued commitment to share information and serve as a resource for the seed industry, SAA has recently launched a new website with an enhanced search tool, a docu- ment library and a members only area. While SAA is a relatively young organization, it’s playing a piv- otal role in advancing the seed industry in the Americas. There’s a great deal more work and projects in the pipeline than what could be featured here. SW