Author: Sarah Clarke, ADAS
There is currently a disparate array of systems across Europe for farmers to access information about variety performance and suitability. InnoVar reviewed information from VCU (Value for Cultivation and Use) testing authorities across 15 European countries and found reporting ranged from simply publishing the results of VCU trials to recommendations based on additional trials or expert panels. Most shared an emphasis on yield and disease resistance, with quality traits and lodging resistance also common. To address this diversity, a key outcome of the InnoVar project is a recommendation tool that can allow farmers across Europe to receive the most appropriate variety options for them based on their farm location, disease risk etc..
To facilitate this, a system of categorising varieties, HPLR (High Performance, Low Risk) was developed; classes included diseases, lodging, resilience and sustainability. The web-based and mobile-friendly tools use data from InnoVar VCU trials but could incorporate data from any VCU trial. Users choose their country, what characteristics (eg disease) and level of incidence they are interested in, and a comparator base variety. For the chosen criteria, the tool displays the relative yields of varieties where they have been grown with full fungicide and no fungicide. The tool also calculates HPLR Resilience by taking account of absolute and stability of yield. HPLR Sustainability considers relative yield where no fungicide has been applied.