Minutes of the First Consultative Meeting of Protection of Plant Varieties and

Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPV&FRA) held at CIMAP, Lucknow on 17-18

December 2005

The “First Consultative Meeting on ‘DUS’ for Medicinal, Aromatic and Seed Spice
Plants” under PVP & FRA was held at CIMAP, Lucknow on 17-18 December 2005 to
discuss ‘DUS’ and related issues on these speciality plants in which following persons
participated.

1. Dr. S. Nagarajan, Chairperson, Protection of Plant Varieties & Farmers’ Rights

Authority, Government of India, Ministry of agriculture, DOA&C, NASC
Complex, DPS Marg, Todapur, New Delhi.
2. Dr. S.P.S. Khanuja, Director, CIMAP, Lucknow.
3. Dr. R.K. Chowdhury, Officer on Special Duty, Directorate of Seed Research, Seed
Science & Technology Building, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New
Delhi.
4. Mr. R.K. Gupta, Head, IPMD (CSIR), NISCAIR Building, 14, Satsang Vihar
Marg, New Delhi.
5. Dr. Satyabrata Maiti, Director, National Research Centre for Medicinal &
Aromatic Plants, Boriavi, Anand, Gujarat.
6. Dr. B.B. Vashishtha, Director, National Research Centre on Seed Spices, Tabiji,
Ajmer, Rajasthan.
7. Shri Ranjit Puranik, Chief Executive Officer, Shree Dhootapapeshwar Limited,
135, Nanubhai Desai Road, Khetwadi, Mumbai.
8. Dr. G.S. Cheema, Assistant Plant Breeder, Department of Agronomy &
Agrometerology, PAU, Ludhiana.
9. Dr. Veena Gupta, Sr. Scientist, NBPGR, Pusa Campus, New Delhi.
10. Dr. O.P. Singh, Head, AINP, Department of Horticulture, NDUA&T, Faizabad.
11. Dr. Johnson George, Senior Scientist, Indian Institute of Spices Research, Calicut.
12. Dr. C.K. Venugopal, Asstt. Prof. of Horticulture, Univ. of Agricultural Sciences,
Dharwad, Karnataka.
13. Dr. Y.R. Sarma, Former Director, IISR, Araman, KSHB Colony, Malapramba,
Calicut.
14. Dr. P.J. Mathew, Head, Medicinal Plants Unit, TBGRI, Palode,
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
15. Dr. Mohd. Aslam, Additional Director, (Scientist-E), DBT, New Delhi.
16. Dr. S.P. Singh, Scientist-in-Charge, CIMAP Resource Centre, Pantanagar.
17. Dr. R.R. Rao, Emeritus Scientist, CIMAP Resource Centre, Bangalore.
18. Dr. O.P. Dhawan, Head, PME & IP Cell, CIMAP, Lucknow.
19. Dr. A.K. Singh, Head, TBD, CIMAP, Lucknow.
20. Dr. A.K. Shasany, Scientist, GRB, CIMAP, Lucknow.
21. Dr. A.K. Gupta, Scientist, GRB, CIMAP, Lucknow.
22. Dr. R.K. Lal, Scientist, CIMAP, Lucknow.
23. Dr. A.K. Kukreja, Head, Plant Tissue Culture (PTC), CIMAP, Lucknow.
24. Dr. A.K. Mathur, Scientist, PTC, CIMAP, Lucknow.
25. Dr. Ashok Kumar Singh, Scientist-F, Genetics & Plant Breeding, CIMAP,
Lucknow.

Day 1 (17.12.2005)
At the outset on 17.12.05 Dr. S.P.S. Khanuja, Director, CIMAP welcomed all the
participants and set agenda of the meeting elaborating the issues to be addressed during
the meeting specifically about the immediate tasks, future implications of the bill and the
road map ahead. He emphasised on the need to go for clearly defining guidelines for
DUS testing in specialty crops like medicinal, aromatic and seed spice plants being
different in desirable and marker traits as the guidelines for field crops have been already
framed. He highlighted the necessity to document all existing varieties in these crops so
that current status of commercially grown crops is known for prioritizing these crops in a
phase wise manner. Sites for conducting DUS testing of different priority crops should
also be selected alongwith defining the descriptors. Database of the inventories has to be
prepared and there should also be discussion for registration system, farmer’s rights,
breeder’s issues, propagation and multiplication of the materials and industry’s
perspective in the whole issue. He sought inputs from all the participants in this regard.
Dr. R.K. Chaudhary, OSD, DSR, IARI New Delhi informed about the status of DUS
testing initiated by ICAR in view of the PVP&FRA. He told that authority with 15
members has been formed by Government of India under Ministry of Agriculture,
Department of Agriculture and Culture with Dr. S. Nagarajan as its Chairperson. He also
informed that network project worth Rs. 27 crores has been formed involving him (Dr.
R.K. Chaudhary) as Coordinator of the DUS programme. He informed that new
guidelines for DUS testing have been in place for 35 major crops (25 field crops and 8
vegetable crops) where specific characters and centres for undertaking testing have been
finalized. These guidelines called “National Test Guidelines” have been prepared by
ICAR on the basis of UPOV guidelines. The whole process of DUS testing requires.
1. Guidelines
2. Database of extant/notified varieties
3. Selection of DUS test centres
4. Pure seed of extant/notified varieties and their safe storage
5. Software for database/analysis (with security levels)
6. Awareness and capacity building
The network project on the requirements was submitted to authority and got approved.
For monitoring of DUS testing we need the list of available varieties, selection of test
centres for laying out trials and selection of project coordinators. Seed of the varieties to
be tested has to be deposited with NBPGR. DUS centers have to be selected on the basis
of testing capability and required agroclimate for that crop. He also stressed that concern
of PVP&FRA is in commercial varieties and materials only.

Dr. RK Gupta, Head, IPMD, (CSIR), New Delhi said that PVP&FRA in India is much
wider than USPTO etc. He stressed that implementation aspects are very important in
medicinal, aromatic and seed spice plants which should be framed by a group consisting
of CIMAP, NRCMAP, NRCSS, IPMD and PVP&FRA.

Dr. S, Maity, Director, NRCMAP, Anand presented the list of plants in which their center
has been working like ashwagandha, aloe, guggal, liquorice, lemongrass, palmarosa,
senna, safed musli, Mentha, isabgol and Andrographis.
Dr. Vashisth, Director, NRCSS, Ajmar listed 20 priority seed spice plants of India like
coriander, ajwain, cumin, fennel, nigella, fenugreek, celery and anise etc.

Dr. Sarma, Former Director, IISR, Calicut listed priority plants of IISR like black pepper,
ginger, cardamom, turmeric, large cardamom etc.

Sh. Ranjeet Puranik, CEO, Shree Dhootpapeshwar Limited, Mumbai, suggested that
monographs of different plants in Indian Pharmacoepia should be prepared.

Dr. M. Aslam, Additional Director, DBT, New Delhi told that concept of varieties in
MAPs is evolving and chemical characteristics with morphotypes are most important in
this case. He suggested that DBT and PVP&FRA may collaborate in training and
awareness building in this case.

Other members like Dr. G.S. Cheema (PAU, Ludhiana), Dr. P.J. Mathur (TBGRI), Dr.
RR Rao (CIMAP, CRC, Bangalore), Dr. Veena Gupta (NBPGR), Dr. C.K. Venugopal
(UAS, Dharwad), Dr. A.K. Singh and Dr. O.P. Dhawan (CIMAP) also put forth their
views and the type of work going on in their organizations in this regard.

After going through the presentations followed by discussion Dr. S.P.S. Khanuja
suggested that the initial list for prioritization of crops should be at the first instance
prepared and proposed on the second day of the Meeting by Dr. Vashisth and Dr. Sarma
for spices and by Drs. Maity and OP Dhawan for medicinal & aromatic plants by taking
inputs from all participants.

Day 2 (18.12.2005)

Dr. SPS Kahnuja summarized the first day’s deliberations and requested Dr. Nagarajan to
give his views providing guidelines for follow up.
Dr. S. Nagarajan, Chairperson, PVP&FRA, DOA&C, New Delhi stressed that DUS basis
for registration of new varieties for MAPs & seed spices should be morphological as well
as chemical for ascertaining distinctiveness. Though DUS testing may be mainly for
morphological traits, it may be supplemented by chemical and molecular traits. The
registered varieties have to be notified in the Indian Journal of Plant Variety Authority
which acts as official journal for registering varieties. The journal has to support Gazette
for methodology of plant variety protection and DUS testing etc. The journal will be
available on website which is being designed by a taskforce. He desired that CIMAP
should act as a referral laboratory for MAPs. Gene Bank of plant varieties has been set up
at NBPGR which will act as National Plant Variety Gene Bank. Computerized data base
has to be prepared covering DUS characteristics, pictures, digital herbarium, chemotypic
traits for all the plants. National Plant Variety Registration Authority is presently covering
12 field crops. MAPs are to be taken up for DUS testing by 2008. Indigenous knowledge
should be an important criteria and we have to prioritize the crops for DUS testing
accordingly. Coordinators will have to prepare dummy characters for which 15-20
characters of each crop are to be identified. Expert groups will be required to make
general and specific guidelines for each crop. Material submitted for registration of the
varieties have to be pure. He also stressed that CIMAP should coordinate for medicinal
and aromatic crops. Dr. Nagarajan suggested that the referral labs for MAPs may be
CIMAP and NRCMAP. Plant Variety Garden of live specimens other than seed crops
should be maintained at NBPGR. Record keeping of DUS data has to be as per law. He
told that Dr. RK Choudhary is acting as Financial Adviser and all centers may prepare
core plan and contingency budget. In the interactive session Sh. R. Puranik suggested that
material transfer agreement (MTA) should be made by CIMAP for MAPs which should
become guideline for all others to follow for transfer of materials. It was also deliberated
that DBT should complement funding of scientific part of the DUS exercise. It was also
deliberated that next meeting should be held at NRCMAP, Anand in February, 2006 and
there should be observers from DST, DBT, Unani, Siddha, NMPB etc. Projects should
also be formulated by February, 2006.
Thereafter the list of plants prepared by working groups on first day was placed for
discussion and the following crops of MAPs and seed spices along with their DUS test
centers and coordinating laboratories were unanimously finalized after deliberation of all
the members in the meeting.

List of prioritized plants alongwith the coordinating laboratories and

proposed DUS testing centres

Medicinal Plants: Coordinator - CIMAP

1. Bacopa monnieri – CIMAP, Lucknow & its Resource Centre, Pantnagar &
TBGRI, Palode, Kerala
2. Plantago ovata – NRCMAP, Anand & MPUAT, Udaipur
3. Withania somnifera – JNKVV, Mandsaur, NRCMAP
4. Catharanthus roseus – CIMAP Resource Centre, Bangalore & HAU, Hissar
5. Aloe vera – NRCMAP, Anand, & MPUAT, Udaipur
6. Papaver somniferum – CIMAP, Lucknow, NBRI, Lucknow & NDUAT,
Faizabad
7. Andrographis paniculata - CIMAP, Lucknow, TBGRI, Palode, Kerala &
NRCMAP, Anand
8. Rouvolfia serpentina – CIMAP, Lucknow and Resource Centre, Pantnagar &
TBGRI, Palode, Kerala
9. Cassia angustifolia – NRCMAP, Anand, CIMAP, Lucknow and resource
Centre, Hyderabad, TNAU, Coimbatore

Aromatic Plants: Coordinator - CIMAP

1. Mentha arvensis – CIMAP, Lucknow& Pantnagar & PAU, Ludhiana

2. Pelargonium graveolens – CIMAP, Lucknow & Resource Centre, Purara
(Bageshwar) & IIHR, Bangalore
3. Rosa damascena – CIMAP Resource Centre, Purara & IHBT, Palampur
 4. Cymbopogon winterianus – CIMAP, RRL, Jorhat, JNKVV, Indore & KAU, Odakkali
5. Cymbopogon flexuosus – CIMAP, Hyderabad, RRL, Jammu & KAU, Odakkali
6. Cymbopogon martini – CIMAP & RRL, Bhubaneshwar
Seed spices: Coordinator- NRCSS

1. Coriander – RAU Jobner & TNAU, NRCSS, Ajmar

2. Cumin – DAU, Jagudan & NRCSS, Ajmar
3. Fennel – NDAUT, Faizabad & CIMAP, Lucknow, HAU, Hissar
4. Fenugreek – APAU, Guntur & NRCSS, TNAU
5. Dill – NRCSS & APAU, Guntur
6. Ajowain – CIMAP, Lucknow, NRCSS, DAU, Jagudan
7. Celery – PAU, Ludhiana & NRCSS, Ajmar

Tasks & milestones

Referral Lab – CIMAP & NRCMAP

Gene Bank & Data Base – NBPGR
Plant Variety Botanical Garden – NBPGR
DUS Trainings – NRCMAP by mid – Feb. 2006
Referral Lab training – CIMAP by second week of March, 2006 (tentative)
Projects to be submitted – By Feb., 2006
Budget estimates to be submitted as per work plan

The meeting ended with the vote of thanks to the chair.