History of variety testing
The beginning of variety testing is marked by the development of the first plant varieties resulting in awareness of necessity to identify the varieties bread and to distinguish them from other similar varieties. The State Cereal Varieties Testing Inspectorate with 9 variety testing areas was established in 1945 for variety testing in public trials. Inspectorate was directly subject to All-Union State Commission for Trials of Cereal Varieties. A year later, five state stations were established for variety testing of industrial crops; subject Baltic Industrial Crops Variety Testing Inspectorate.
In 1947, the State Cereals Variety Testing Inspectorate was renamed the State Cereals, Oil Plants and Grasses Variety Testing Inspectorate, adding new functions to the existing Inspectorate. Variety testing of oil plants and grasses was included in the tasks of the variety testing areas. At that time, the variety testing of potatoes, root crops, vegetables and fruit-berry crops were carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture of Latvian SSR.
In 1953, the re-organization was carried out, uniting and transferring the variety testing of different agricultural crops under the competency of Agricultural Crops Variety Testing Inspectorate of Latvian SSR, yet the variety testing of potatoes, root crops, vegetables and fruits-berries still remained under the competency of Ministry of Agriculture of Latvian SSR. The variety testing of said crops was transferred into the hands of Agricultural Crops Variety Testing Inspectorate of Latvian SSR only in 1956.
In 1960, as the result of the above re-organizations, Agricultural Crops Variety Testing Inspectorate of Latvian SSR managed 10 variety testing areas for cereals, oil plants and grasses, 3 combined variety testing areas of oil plants and fruit-berry crops and 4 specialized areas, including 1 for vegetables, 2 for fruit-berry crops and the research of variety resistance against diseases and pests. Their functions were:
- Agricultural crops variety testing in the territory of Latvian SSR,
- Performance of crop management trials,
- Agricultural crop seed multiplication,
- Popularization of the new best zoned varieties and new crop management practices.
The next wave of re-organizations started in 1987. It resulted in re-naming of the Agricultural Crops Variety Testing Inspectorate of Latvian SSR the Latvian State Plant Variety Testing Centre and placed under competency of the Ministry of Agriculture. Henceforth the variety testing was carried out in 5 plant variety testing stations, two areas and two laboratories: Entomofhytopathological laboratory and Laboratory of Chemically-technological Tests. Variety testing was performed for cereals, fibre plants and oil plants, potatoes, root crops, grasses, green chop plants, fruit trees and berry shrubs, vegetables and ornamental plants.
In 1997, the State Riga Plant Variety Testing Station and State Valmiera Plant Variety Testing Station were closed down; at the same time company „Ruģēni Ltd” entered seed testing business in Valmiera district on contract basis. In 1998, the State Bauska Plant Variety Testing Station was wound up, and in 1999 the same happened to State Cēsis Plant Variety Testing Station and Riga Vegetable Testing Area, Consequently, the public testing of fruit trees and berry varieties was discontinued; for vegetables, the variety testing was for one more year taken over by State Daugavpils Plant Variety Testing Station and at Bulduri Vocational School of Horticulture it is still carried out on contract basis.
In 2000, the State Plant Variety Testing Centre was merged with the State Plant Protection Service, and re-named the Plant Variety Testing Department. At the beginning of the same year, the State Variety Testing Unit for Ornamental Plants was closed down, while at the end of the year Entomophytopathological laboratory also ceased to exist.
In 2001, the State Jelgava Plant Variety Testing Station and State Daugavpils Plant Variety Testing Station were closed down. In turn, the assessment of variety type commercial characteristics was on contract basis undertaken by Latvian Agricultural University (henceforth LAU), Višķi Vocational School and Skrīveri Research Centres. The Commercial Characteristics assessment is performed also at State Saldus Plant Variety Testing Centre and „Ruģēni Ltd”. The commercial characteristics assessment is carried out in trials in respect of cereals, fibre plants, oil plants, potatoes, root crops, grasses and green chop plants.
On 1 April 2003, the laboratory of the Department was closed down, henceforth SPPS contracts independent laboratory for performance of chemically-technological tests.
The commercial characteristics assessment in the field of organic farming was started in 2004.
As from 3 March 2005 the State Saldus Plant Variety Testing Station is closed down and the Field Trials Division of Plant Variety Testing Department is put in place.