The task of the Plant Variety Board is to determine the value of new field crop varieties before they are released. The official variety trials of field crops are arranged by the Agricultural Research Centre of Finland. Variety trials of the most important plants are conducted around Finland for more than two years before they are released. The official variety trial operations are organised by the Western-Finland Research Unit of the Agricultural Research Centre of Finland. The official variety trials form a basis for the provision of information on the value of field crops. The value of new varieties is evaluated in preliminary and official variety trials. The aim is to determine the cultivation stability, yield potential and quality by thorough studies. Nowadays official variety trials are carried out to order and a charge is made. The Plant Breeding Institute or the owner of the variety enters the variety for the trials and covers the expenses related to the trials. The variety undergoes official trials for at least two years or until it is entered in the National List of Cultivars of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland. Thereafter the variety undergoes trials for another 2-3 years to collect information for growers. Altogether the testing of a variety in official variety trials lasts a total of 4 to 6 years. Official variety trials are arranged for the most important cultivated crops. The variety trials take place in areas suitable for the cultivation of the crop in question. For instance, variety trials on spring wheat are conducted only in South-Finland, whereas variety trials on barley, except for malt barley, are arranged all over the country. The variety trials are field trials which simulate practical cultivation. Official variety trials have been conducted at a total of 16 trial sites. In addition, official variety trials have been conducted by Mildola Oy, Kemira Agro Ltd. and Potato Research Institute to order and under supervision of the Agricultural Research Centre of Finland. Decisions on the inclusion of varieties in the National List of Cultivars of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland are based on the results of the official variety trials. The Plant Variety Board of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland decides which varieties are retained on the National List of Cultivars. The list is published annually. Nowadays it is a list of the varieties which are permitted to be marketed in Finland. The zone and cultivation recommendations are published separately either as national summaries or as a regional bulletin.