Nuvar® is an international project, which has the objectives of obtaining, developing, and publicising new plant varieties, involving amateur and professional breeders, commercial growers, and retailers.

Nuvar® is concerned with promoting new varieties, including those which, although being full of promise, have not been developed further because they might not be of sufficient interest to the major retailers. This could be for any of the following reasons:
-    the new variety is similar to an existing variety.
-    it is too fragile to withstand the frequent (numerous) handling involved in transporting it to the shops, and the subsequent handling by consumers.
-    it has an appearance, shape or colour which is not particularly attractive.
-    it is too small or too large.

However, if these varieties do not interest the major retailers, they could nevertheless be excellent varieties of interest to gardeners, or to be grown commercially for sale through small retail outlets such as greengrocers and farm shops. Nuvar® new varieties could have a number of possible origins. In the case of certain tree fruits, e.g. apples, these could include:
Chance seedlings:
These may already exist in gardens of private individuals or on horticultural holdings. Nuvar® is seeking promising seedling varieties from either amateur gardeners or professional producers, which have never been commercially marketed. If you have a promising new variety, please contact your nearest Nuvar® supplier, or write to the Head Licensee enclosing a description and photos. If the Head Licensee agrees that the variety could be promising, it will be considered for trialling (see F.A.Q.'s).

Breeding programmes:
Some new varieties produced by amateur and professional breeders, which, (for any of the reasons mentioned above) have not yet found commercial markets, will be made available through the Nuvar® scheme (see item about breeding in Technical Information).