The “Varieties and Seeds” Research Group helps ensure that suitable varieties of arable crops that are in line with market requirements are available to Swiss agriculture (variety testing), that the added value of the varieties is preserved during seed propagation (seed certification), and that the seed that is produced and traded is of a high quality (seed testing).

These three tasks – variety testing, seed certification and seed testing – are fulfilled by ART within the framework of the legal-enforcement tasks of seed regulations.

Close cooperation with our sister research station, ACW, as well as with our partners in the seed sector is a prerequisite for efficient implementation. We endeavour to constantly improve our services so that Swiss agriculture can harness advances in breeding and so that the processing establishments have access to high-quality resources.