Argentina and UPOV: How Plant Variety Protection Is Benefiting Custodians of Native Wild Germplasm and Preserving Agricultural Biodiversity

Argentina

Using the UPOV system to benefit custodians of native wild germplasm in Argentina

Many varieties of ornamental species grown worldwide are derived from South American germplasm which is improved outside the region by international companies.

In order to develop Argentinian varieties from native germplasm, the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) is developing a specific area of research.

Since 1999, INTA has been implementing the first program in Argentina designed to breed varieties of ornamental species from native flora. The germplasm of various species is collected, its characteristics identified, and evaluated according to the ornamental suitability of the species.

This information makes it possible to plan the development that leads to breeding improved improved varieties, protecting them and, ultimately, making them available to the productive and commercial sector. Through this system, the INTA’s Institute of Floriculture has already developed 17 new varieties.

Julián Greppi, Researcher, Breeder, INTA Institute of Floriculture

“Our institute has a project that seeks to develop ornamental crops, new varieties of ornamental crops, using wild germplasm native to Argentina. The first step in this endeavor is precisely targeted field collection of the germplasm, that is, the material that we are going to use later as the raw material in the breeding programs. The field collection of germplasm requires the organization of collection trips depending on the species of interest. We will identify the geographical points, that is, the locations, where these species grow and we will visit those locations to collect seeds, cuttings and the like; in short, germplasm.”

After collection, the material is propagated. This is followed by the characterization and evaluation of morphological, physiological and agronomic aspects related to the future use of germplasm.

Julián Greppi, Researcher, Breeder, INTA Institute of Floriculture

“The species with which we are working now (mainly Glandularia, Calibrachoa, Petunia and Mecardonia) have been selected and we are propagating them vegetatively using cuttings. Basic, traditional breeding tools are employed, that is, crossing and selection, successive crossing and selection, until we are able to combine all the desired characteristics in a single individual.”

The genetic improvement process leading to a new variety often takes several years. It is followed by the registration for protection stage that, for these native materials, requires the development of specific descriptors.

Raimundo Lavignolle, President, National Seed Institute (INASE)

“As the body responsible for enforcing the seed law, INASE maintains the national registry of variety protection and grants titles to plant varieties. So the plant varieties developed by INTA are really remarkable because they are the first varieties protected in Argentina that are developed from native species. We had to sit down and study the subject, meet with INTA technicians to first of all develop the test guidelines, how we were going to draft them, determine what reference materials we were going to use to compare these new varieties with those that were already known, and see how we would work it so that the entire system of national and international regulations could operate for the benefit of all, and that is what we have achieved. It is a clear example of how the different systems can be made compatible: the plant variety protection system, using property titles, under the seed law, which conforms to the UPOV Convention, and systems for access to plant genetic resources, because INTA has of course entered into agreements with the provinces to access these resources. This is a clear example of how access to plant genetic resources and benefit-sharing can be made compatible, and how plant variety protection can link all those actions to the benefit of the users of resources, the custodians of the resources and future users of those varieties.”

Registration for protection allows INTA to obtain a title for the improved variety. Plant breeders’ rights are covered by the UPOV Convention. The royalties derived from commercialization of the variety are shared between the breeder and the provinces that contributed the native plant genetic resource.

As a result of the breeding program that the Institute of Floriculture carried out on the Mecardonia and Calibrachoa species, benefits were distributed with the province of Misiones, the supplier of the genetic material.

Héctor Espina, National Director of (INTA)

“For a long time in Argentina and Latin America, we saw how other countries used [?] our genetic resources, improved them and then we ended up buying them. In this case, the idea is to add value to floral resources, so agreements have been signed with provinces, because the National Constitution of 1994 clearly establishes that provinces are the owners of natural resources, so these agreements are fundamental. This already happens in the international marketplace through agreements with companies, one from Japan and another from the United States of America, for commercialization in Japan, the United States of America and the European Union of two of our native species (in this case, from Misiones but there are others from other provinces). A large part of the profits, basically, 50 per cent, that are generated from the commercialization return to those provinces.”

Veronica Derna, Minister of Ecology and Renewable Natural Resources, Misiones Province

“The benefits for Misiones Province in terms of their native renewable resources are manifold. Above all, they include the awareness of the value of all our native natural resources. There is also better knowledge of these natural resources, and above all an indirect influence on their use because it reduces their erosion/loss[?]. Given that they are being domesticated and being improved at INTA Castelar, the erosion/loss[?] from their natural habitat is reduced and this is therefore our own contribution, working together with INTA, for the conservation of our native natural resources.”

Héctor Espina, National Director of (INTA)

“The benefits for Misiones Province in terms of their native renewable resources are manifold. Above all, they include the awareness of the value of all our native natural resources. There is also better knowledge of these natural resources, and above all an indirect influence on their use because it reduces their erosion/loss[?]. Given that they are being domesticated and being improved at INTA Castelar, the erosion/loss[?] from their natural habitat is reduced and this is therefore our own contribution, working together with INTA, for the conservation of our native natural resources.”

Héctor Espina, National Director of (INTA)

“Argentina has both signed and ratified by law the Convention on Biological Diversity and, last year, the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, which is a treaty on genetic resources whereby we recognize these rights and how to implement them. What INTA is doing is the first case of concrete application by Argentina and one of the first cases in the world.”

The ornamental varieties registered for protection by INTA are in the process of being made available to the commercial propagation sector. At the national level, the strategy is to deliver elite material and production technology for each variety to propagating companies and to promote the new varieties among consumers.

Nicolás Paulini, Partner, Geoplant (Nursery) company

“These are some of the varieties developed by INTA from native plants. They gave us the material to produce the mother plants and we do the propagation and distribution; we sell them to our clients and advise them as well.

“The characteristics of these plants are that because they are native they do not have many nutritional or water requirements, they adapt very well to the climate of almost the whole country and they are a novelty for the producers and for the clients.”

At the international level, and within the framework of membership of UPOV, commercialization is through agreements with foreign companies.

Currently, there is an agreement with the Japanese company Sakata Seed Co. to introduce to the international market two varieties of Mecardonia: “Yellow Chrosite” and “Magic Carpet”. The first of these varieties is only marketed in Japan, while the second has been introduced in the United States of America, Canada and the European Union.

Moreover, the Proven Winners company signed with INTA a license agreement whereby it produces and markets in the United States of America, Canada and Central America a Calibrachoa variety developed in Argentina by the INTA Floristry Institute: “Garden Rose”.

Moriya Kawashima, Researcher, Breeder, Sakata Ornamentals

“We started working with INTA in 2004, that means we have had a relationship for over 10 years now. We think that Argentina has great genetic diversity, a vision shared with INTA, which helped to begin cooperation with a private company like Sakata for equitable and sustainable development and marketing of the varieties.

“We started selling Mecardonia around 2008 in Japan and then in the United States of America and Europe. We were successful in linking with INTA because we trust INTA one hundred percent for its human resources: that is the key to maintaining the link.”

The experience of INTA, through the Institute of Floriculture shows that it is possible to make a sustainable use of native resources and that the best way towards sustainability is the development of new varieties through improvement.

Raimundo Lavignolle, President, INASE

“The advantage of protecting a plant variety, of having a property title, is first of all being able to recover part of the investment that was made and the costs arising from the development or creation of the plant variety. Secondly, it gives control over the trade of the material of that variety. In other words, collecting royalties is one of the aspects, but also being able to have control over the material that is being propagated, the conditions, characteristics and quality of what is offered to users is sometimes as important or more important because it increases the prestige of the institution that has created it and the prestige of the varieties that are being spread. Therefore, these two aspects, especially the second aspect that is often not as evident, we understand is very important for an organisation like INTA, it."

Héctor Espina, National Director of (INTA)

“So that is what our scientists in the Institute of Floriculture did and we are proud of the progress. It is a control case that will allow us to move on to other things and also show the provinces that we are not going to take over their resources, but that instead we will value those resources and return benefits to those communities.”