Fruit plants registration and protection in Brazil from 1998 to 2015: a review

Abstract

In order to develop mechanisms for the organization, systematization and control of seeds and seedlings production and commercialization, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA) created the National Register of Cultivars (RNC). In turn, the objective of the National Service for Plant Variety Protection (SNPC) is to protect intellectual property, guaranteeing commercial exploration rights exclusivity and the use of royalties. Therefore, the aim of this work is to carry out an survey on the number of registrations and protections of diferente fruit species listed by the MAPA and investigate the participation of private (IPR) and public institutions (IPU). Therefore, 33 fruiters species of economic and social relevance were selected and divided into tempered, subtropical and tropical. Data for the study were obtained from the RNC and SNPC data bank, available in real time at the MAPA website. The research was carried out from 1998 to July 15, 2015. Results showed 2,227 registrations and 88 protections, where the cultures of watermelon, melon, grapes and orange showed a higher number of registration and the grapes, strawberry and apple showed a higher number of protection. With the exception of some annual fruiters, there was greater IPU participation in the number of registrations, while SNPC were found in 54, 55 and 45, 45% of protections for IPR and IPU, respectively. Among the IPUs, Embrapa stands out with the highest number of registrations and protection, followed by IAC, EPAGRI and IAPAR. The public-private partnerships made a slight contribution to the generation of new cultivars.