Protection of onion and garlic varieties through PPV&FRA

Abstract

Distinctness, uniformity and stability test (DUS) are essential for registrationof varieties under PPV&FR Act 2001 and 140 crops have been notified forregistration including onion and garlic in India. The DUS test guidelines foronion and garlic have been notified by PPV&FRA in 2009 in India with 34DUS test characteristics for onion varieties and 32 characteristics for garlicvarieties. ICAR-DOGR, Rajgurunagar, Pune is working as a Nodal Centrefor conducting DUS test for onion and garlic. All the available short dayvarieties of onion and garlic are being maintained at ICAR-DOGR,Rajgurunagar, and ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, whereas long day varieties arebeing maintained at ICAR-CITH, Srinagar. Multiplier onion is beingmaintained at TNAU, Coimbatore. Fourty-two rabi onion varieties includingland races are being maintained during rabi season whereas 10 onionvarieties during kharif. All the 20 garlic varieties including land racesbeing maintained during rabi season. After initiation of DUS test, 6 varietiesof onion and 5 varieties of garlic have been registered with PPV&FRA forits protection. From ICAR-DOGR, three onion varieties (Bhima Kiran, BhimaRed and Bhima Raj) and one garlic variety (Bhima Omkar) have beenregistered with PPV&FRA.