In Poland, an investigation into the varietal authenticity of certified grass seed revealed fraud. This concerns the internationally popular Bokser variety, one of the largest perennial ryegrass varieties available.
The report about fraud was made by Breeders Trust, a company that represents the interests in the field of plant breeders' rights of various breeding companies. Research by the company shows that in recent years, certified grass seed of the Bokser variety has often turned out not to be purebred. Boxer is marketed by a partnership of Polish trading companies. It now appears that they do not have purebred grass seed certified under the name Bokser.
69% not purebred
Last season, 5.700 hectares of the Boxer variety were officially registered, making this the largest variety of perennial ryegrass in Poland. The breed is also in the top 3 of largest breeds of its kind in Europe. At the end of 2015, the first report came in that a batch was not purebred. In connection with this, Breeders Trust has started an investigation to find out whether this was an incident or a structural problem. The research shows that of the 16 matches followed, no fewer than 11 were not Boxers, so expressed in percentages, 69% are not purebred.
The variety ends up in various grass seed mixtures that are sold throughout Europe. Breeders Trust is currently in discussions with the Polish Seed Trade Association to address this issue and discuss how this problem can be prevented in the future.