| Abstract:The Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability (DUS) testing is a core technical tool for plant variety protection, and a key basis for confirming and protecting the rights of medicinal plant varieties. As the scale of the traditional Chinese medicine industry continues to expand and clinical demand for stable medicinal plant quality increases, traditional DUS testing methods based on morphological characteristics face limitations in their applicability to medicinal plants. There is an urgent need to systematically review the current status of these methods and explore pathways for optimization. Within the framework of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), this paper systematically reviews the development of DUS testing guidelines for medicinal plants in major countries and regions, including China, the European Union, Japan, India, the United States, and South Korea. It also compares and analyzes the adoption and implementation of the UPOV conventions in these countries. Additionally, the paper reviews the application of new technologies such as molecular markers, image recognition, and multi-omics in DUS testing. Based on the current research landscape, it is suggested that each country should tailor its efforts to its medicinal plant resources and industry needs, strengthen policy support, and increase financial investment. These efforts will contribute to improving the medicinal plant variety protection system and ensuring the sustainable development of the industry. |
