What you probably ran into was a PVP from the plant variety protection act of when ever. What it does is protect varieties for 17 years a lot like a patent does. Most hybrids don"t have a pvp because saving seed from them will not give reliable results. However the inbred parent lines do have a pvp. It is a system that protects the people and firms that develop new varieties and allows them to be in control of what happens with that variety. Most wheat varieties from have a pvp these days and you can save the seed but you can"t sell it as seed. Unless you can certify that it is pure to the variety name and pay the developer of the seed a royalty. A pvp can belong to a great big huge agribusiness or an individual who bred the certain variety. In the process of developing a variety that is good, breeders have to wade through a lot of trash plants that are not going to be productive to find the strains that are, sometimes it can take years to do. the variety patents are just a way to ensure that whoever developed a variety can gain from it financially so they will have an incentive to keep making newer and better plants. yes the big companies probably apply for more pvp"s now than the little guys but there are still many individual plant breeders out there trying to find some treasure in the gene pool, even me! I hope that answers your question about the tillage radishes you were wondering about
take care Levi
take care Levi
