Crop variety and planting patents selection management

Crop Management is efficient, economical and environmentally sound crop production through using best management practices and input efficiencies. The UNL Extension Cropping Systems Team provides resources on the aspects of crop management listed below:

It is important to continuously evaluate market demand for a particular crop species. It is equally important to select a good cultivar of that species. Cultivar, also called hybrid and is abbreviated using the letters "cv."

Choose varieties that are:

1. Compatible with the production system.
2. Appealing to the market.
3. Newly developed and that meets your specific needs.

There are many advantages to using hybrids; one drawback to their use is that, seeds will not produce a "true to type" off spring of the parent plant.

A crop variety selection should have:

• Suitable grain quality (especially cooking characteristics, color, shape, taste and aroma, headrice recovery) and be acceptable to farmers and the local market at a price that is acceptable to farmers.
• Adequate yield potential and stability over seasons.
• Resistance or tolerance to the major diseases, insects and/or abiotic stresses (e.g., drought, flood) of the area.
• The right duration of growth to match the season. Avoid varieties that need to be planted or harvested early or late relative to other rice fields in the surrounding area to avoid:
• Increased attack from pests (e.g., birds during maturation), or
• growth problems during times of adverse environmental conditions (e.g., late maturing varieties running out of water)
• Adequate tillering capacity to shade out weeds and produce a sufficient number of tillers for optimum yields.
• Resistance to lodging under normal farmer management.

The range of patentable subject matter for plants includes:

• New plant varieties
• Plant components such as genes or chromosomes
• Reproductive material; e.g. seeds, whole plants, cuttings, cells or protoplasts
• Products from plants including fruit, flowers, oils, starches, chemicals or pharmaceuticals
• Plant material used in industrial processes; e.g. cell lines to produce processes relating to plants, including genetic engineering techniques, plant tissue culture, cell and protoplast culture, mutagenesis and breeding and cultivation methods.

Note: Our system resulted into increase by 50% to 90% in harvest in all major fruits and 2 to 3 times more in assorted vegetables.