> The talk around here in the farmer circle is how years back
> when pioneer had high yeilding and heavy test weight seedcorn
> and the competitors did not, the competitors bought some pioneer
> seed and raised seed from the pioneer seed to get the same
> results from their seed. They knew they could get away with
> it until dna testing came along. Now there are lawsuits going
> on between the companies, over the pvp rights, but those same
> seed companies who pirated the seed from pioneer are using the
> pvp to sue farmers who plant seed kept from their crop. Any
> one else heard anything about this?
Mainly this is about the practice of "chasing selfs." Competitors buy a bag
of seed, plant it or germinate in towels, and select and self only the small
plants. Often the small plants turn out to be selfed progeny of the
seed-parent. Using these captured lines as your own is clearly unethical
IMO, although Monsanto is claiming in court that it is legal. Other lines
were stolen more brazenly by sneaking into fields, or by employees pocketing
inbred seed before taking a job with the competition. All this can now be
proven in court.
I don't think any of the companies care if you propagate seed borne on
hybrid plants (corn, sunflower, sorghum, etc). It won't breed true. The
main issue is propagation of pure lines, either incidental selfs in hybrids,
or self-pollinated crops (wheat, beans, soybeans, etc.). Although, most
varieties of self-pollinated crops (NOT RR!) can be legally propagated for
the farmers own use.
Dale
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