State Register of Varieties: How to Choose Promising Crops for Agribusiness

Before a new variety appears in Ukrainian fields, it undergoes state examination and enters the State Register of Plant Varieties — an official list that grants the right to commercial use. This register, established in the early 2000s, reflects not only the legal aspect but also the real trends in crop production.

This is reported by AgroReview

The State Register as a Mirror of Modern Agricultural Priorities

The State Register of Varieties is not just a list of permitted crops. It reflects market dynamics, showing which crops remain profitable even in the challenging conditions of wartime, where seed companies direct their investments, and how priorities change under the influence of climate, logistics, and the needs of export markets. This is why the register is a reliable indicator of the economic logic of the industry’s development.

The largest share in the register is occupied by cereal crops — over 3,600 varieties of corn, wheat, and barley. Ukraine remains a world leader in corn exports, and the developed infrastructure for cereals ensures stable funding for the sector.

Oilseed and fiber crops, including sunflower, rapeseed, and soybean, are represented by over 2,000 varieties. The high demand for these crops is explained by a strong processing base: oil extraction plants, and the export of meal and oil. This stimulates the emergence of new hybrids and breeding developments.

Vegetable crops also hold strong positions with over 2,200 varieties. Here, greenhouse farming, processing, and retail trade play a major role, shaping demand not only for yield but also for quality, disease resistance, and logistics convenience.

Feed, leguminous, and grain crops are less represented — only a few hundred varieties, which is related to limited domestic demand and a small share of livestock farming. In viticulture and forestry, the number of new registrations is minimal due to the long production cycle and the use of already known varieties.

International Experience and Investment in Breeding

The European variety register is structurally similar to the Ukrainian one, but it has different emphases. In the EU, the main focus is not on yield but on the adaptation of crops to climate change and environmental requirements. According to the Farm to Fork strategy, by 2030, EU countries must reduce pesticide use by 50% and fertilizers by 20%. This defines the requirements for new varieties: disease resistance without the use of chemicals, reduction of resource intensity, development of biofuels, and decarbonization in oilseed crops, primarily in rapeseed.

Europe is also actively developing legumes due to the protein autonomy strategy, aiming to reduce imports of soybean meal and increase domestic production of nitrogen-fixing crops. There is also notable interest in niche crops such as spelt, emmer, or special forage grasses.

The situation in Ukraine is complex, but investments in breeding continue. Two-thirds of new varieties registered in 2024 were submitted by companies that are members of the Seed Association of Ukraine. Of the 927 new entries, 537 are their developments. In key crops such as corn and sunflower, association members registered 71% of new varieties, in rapeseed — 95%, and in soybean — 74%. Leading applicants include Limagrain, Syngenta, BASF, KWS, RAGT Semences, Lidea, MAS Seeds, “Mais,” and others.

By early 2026, 61 varieties from members of the Seed Association of Ukraine have already been registered, primarily common corn, annual sunflower, winter rapeseed, and among vegetables — edible tomato, white cabbage, zucchini, watermelon, etc.

Opportunities and Challenges of the State Register of Varieties

The modern State Register effectively records the emergence of a new variety. However, its potential is much broader.

“If the Register were integrated with data on sown areas and climatic zones, it could become a forecasting tool — demonstrating which varieties are gaining popularity, where the demand for stress-resistant genetics is growing, and where Ukraine is critically dependent on foreign supplies. Then it would no longer be just a reference book, but a system for strategic planning for business and the state.”

Currently, the main issue remains user convenience: the register is a large static table that is updated once a month or less, and searching for varieties with specific characteristics requires considerable effort. Future development involves creating a dynamic database with the ability to filter by agronomic traits, as well as integration with international databases UPOV and CPVO, which will facilitate the entry of Ukrainian varieties into EU markets.

The implementation of an open API is also being discussed, which would allow agrotechnological companies to use the register’s data in their own services for farmers. Thus, the State Register can transform from a simple reference book into a full-fledged analytical tool for the industry if there is a sufficiently rapid implementation of innovations.