On May 20-24, the 53^rd International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) Technical Working Party for Vegetables (TWV) meeting was held in Seoul, South Korea. More than 30 experts from countries and organizations such as China, UPOV, CPVO, ISF, Netherlands, France, Germany, Japan, Brazil, Kenya, Zambia and South Korea participated in the meeting. Professor Hairong Chen and Associate Professor Li Ren from the Institute of Agri-food Standards and Testing Technology of SAAS were invited to the meeting.

UPOV officials introduced the latest work progress of the union and reported on Belgium's accession to the UPOV convention; members from Brazil, the European Union, France, Japan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom also made reports on the protection and testing of new plant varieties.

The Revision of procedural and technical documents such as the characteristics of certain varieties, the data analysis for variety-specific evaluation and variety description, the naming of RHS color chart and the application of biochemical and molecular markers in DUS test and revision of international guidelines for DUS test of 14 vegetables such as watermelon, leaf beet, fennel, chickpea, melon, sweet pepper, zucchini, tomato, rootstock tomato, turnip melon, lettuce, kale, mushroom and green bean were discussed in the meeting. The application of biochemical and molecular techniques in vegetable DUS test and international cooperation in DUS test were discussed in groups as well.

New Plant Variety DUS Test Center (Shanghai) of Ministry of Agriculture from the SAAS submitted the “DUS Test Guide of Chinese Ipomoea Aquatica New Varieties” and made a report.