Development of distinctness, uniformity, and stability test guidelines for sainfoin

The DUS (Distinctness, Uniformity, and Stability) test is a necessary step in the approval and registration of new plant varieties. The DUS test guide articulates the procedure by which the variety certification authority carries out DUS testing. In accordance with the procedure requirements specified in the TGP/7 technical document of the International Union for the Protection of New Plant Varieties, we conducted a 2-year field test in Urumqi, Xinjiang, with 90 sainfoin variety resources as the test materials, and completed a DUS test guide draft for approval after several peer experts’ performed field testing and revision. The guideline stipulates 31 test characteristics, observation methods, and criteria for a DUS test of sainfoin, and 13 standard varieties. The author introduced in depth the development process and main contents of the DUS testing guide of sainfoin. The formulation of these guidelines provides a technical basis for determining the specificity, consistency, and stability of new varieties in China and significantly strengthens the protection of new varieties of sainfoin in China. It provides technical support for the healthy development of the sainfoin industry.