diff --git a/t/db_dependent/TestBuilder.t b/t/db_dependent/TestBuilder.t
index 3046ad8580..4d93cee948 100644
--- a/t/db_dependent/TestBuilder.t
+++ b/t/db_dependent/TestBuilder.t
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 
 use Modern::Perl;
 
-use Test::More tests => 10;
+use Test::More tests => 11;
 use Test::Warn;
 use Data::Dumper qw(Dumper);
 
@@ -332,6 +332,15 @@ subtest 'Date handling' => sub {
 
 };
 
+subtest 'Default values' => sub {
+    plan tests => 2;
+    $builder = t::lib::TestBuilder->new;
+    my $item = $builder->build( { source => 'Item' } );
+    is( $item->{more_subfields_xml}, undef );
+    $item = $builder->build( { source => 'Item', value => { more_subfields_xml => 'some xml' } } );
+    is( $item->{more_subfields_xml}, 'some xml' );
+};
+
 $schema->storage->txn_rollback;
 
 1;
diff --git a/t/lib/TestBuilder.pm b/t/lib/TestBuilder.pm
index 666cc87617..0d312d0c54 100644
--- a/t/lib/TestBuilder.pm
+++ b/t/lib/TestBuilder.pm
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ sub new {
     $self->schema->storage->sql_maker->quote_char('`');
 
     $self->{gen_type} = _gen_type();
+    $self->{default_values} = _gen_default_values();
     return $self;
 }
 
@@ -290,6 +291,8 @@ sub _buildColumnValue {
             return;
         }
         push @$retvalue, $value->{$col_name};
+    } elsif( exists $self->{default_values}{$source}{$col_name} ) {
+        push @$retvalue, $self->{default_values}{$source}{$col_name};
     } else {
         my $data_type = $col_info->{data_type};
         $data_type =~ s| |_|;
@@ -414,6 +417,18 @@ sub _gen_blob {
     return 'b';
 }
 
+sub _gen_default_values {
+    my ($self) = @_;
+    return {
+        Item => {
+            more_subfields_xml => undef,
+        },
+        Biblioitem => {
+            marcxml => undef,
+        }
+    };
+}
+
 =head1 NAME
 
 t::lib::TestBuilder.pm - Koha module to create test records