Discuss the importance of testing of new plant varieties

Discuss the importance of testing of new plant varieties in a geographically vast country like India.

Before the new plants are generated through the plant breeding programs, they need to be evaluated for their yield and other agronomic traits of quality, disease resistance, etc. The testing is done on the farmers field for atleast three growing seasons, at different locations in the country representing all the agroclimatic zones, where the crop is usually grown. The material is evaluated in comparison to thfc best available local crop cultivar known as a check or reference cultivator.