France
February 3, 2026

At its meeting on 15 January, the Sunflower and Soybean Section of the CTPS proposed the inclusion of six new soybean varieties in List A, including one very early variety, and one variety in List B. The technical regulations for soybeans were amended to include a very early area. The new rules for soybean registration have proven useful for registering varieties that are earlier than the controls. Considerations aimed at better taking into account interannual variations in protein content and the case of varieties that are earlier or later than their trial zone were presented. Finally, a progress report on the technical studies of the first peanut variety currently under review was shared.

The meeting began with a review of the 2025 soybean campaign, which saw a slight decrease in area compared to 2024 (150,000 hectares) and a slight decrease in yields (25.8 quintals per hectare). Soybean crushing activity in 2024/25 was very dynamic and prices remain stable.

The Section approved changes to the VSCU soybean protocol, discontinuing flowering ratings and requiring phytosanitary passports for soybean seeds sent to GEVES. It gave its opinion on the methodological considerations currently under way in VSCU soybeans (adjustment of the new decision-making rules, content of soybean publications, recommendations on climate change) and in DUS soybeans (testing of characteristics and methods introduced by the new CPVO protocol, work on the system dedicated to distinctness).

With regard to sunflowers, the Section ruled in favour of partial pooling of disease trials with post-registration trials.

The new CPVO protocols for soya and sunflower are expected to be validated at the beginning of the year and applied as of this season. The Section will be asked to validate the amendments to the DUS protocols and the resulting technical regulations.

Website: http://www.geves.fr

Published: February 3, 2026