![]() ![]() The hybrid plants were sterile, and while they each had many of the visual characteristics of a sweet basil variety, they lacked the aroma and taste that consumers enjoy. In doing so, they faced a significant challenge. Unfortunately, the exotic species have a different number of chromosomes to sweet basil, making cross-breeding very difficult.ĭr Simon’s team spent several years manually cross-breeding hundreds of basil varieties from numerous species, with the goal of introducing only the BDM-resistant genes from the exotic basils into sweet basils. Several of these exotic basil varieties, different species from sweet basils, exhibited a range of tolerance levels and what appeared to be immunity to BDM. They also found that some exotic and ornamental basils appeared to be entirely immune to the disease. Plant infected with basil downy mildew (BDM).Įarlier work by Dr Simon and his colleague, Dr Andy Wyenandt, the state’s vegetable crops extension specialist in plant pathology, had shown that all commercial sweet basil cultivars were highly susceptible to BDM. ‘Integration of downy mildew-resistant sweet basil cultivars into pest management strategies represents a more sustainable control strategy that is advantageous to environmental, public health, and economic interests,’ says Dr Simon. This approach formed the pillar of their plant breeding strategy, which was ultimately incorporated into their integrated pest management plan. ![]() So, his research team began the hunt for a variety of sweet basil with natural genetic resistance to BDM. Dr Simon knew that the key to fighting this intensely damaging blight was to develop genetic resistance to the disease. In 2010, Rutgers’ Dr James Simon was ideally positioned to tackle this devastating pathogen, having dedicated a large portion of his distinguished research career to studying basil genetics and breeding. Finding a viable, long-term, and economically sustainable solution to BDM has been a matter of great urgency for basil cultivators worldwide. Efforts to reduce its spread and severity had been thwarted by the absence of an effective seed treatment or chemical control method. As injured basil leaves are unmarketable, some growers’ entire crops were destroyed and many opted out of growing basil altogether.īasil downy mildew (BDM) is dispersed by air-borne spores from infected leaves and seeds. The devastating fungus-like pathogen emerged in Europe in 2001 and then spread to the US, where it obliterates crops and causes tens of millions of dollars in economic losses. ![]() Cultivating basil was a relatively straightforward and profitable process until the newly emergent disease, basil downy mildew, was reported for the first time in the US in 2009. The most familiar variety, sweet basil ( Ocimum basilicum), is extremely important, generating over $300 million in annual sales in the US alone, while providing numerous jobs for growers, farm labourers, packers, shippers, distributors and retailers. It is used primarily as a culinary flavouring, but is also an ornamental plant and a scent additive for household products and cosmetics. Eight years later, Dr Simon’s team is proud to have successfully developed 12 new downy mildew resistant varieties of sweet basil and two varieties resistant to fusarium wilt disease.īasil, belonging to the genus Ocimum, is the most popular herb purchased in the US. Dr James Simon at Rutgers University had been researching basil for 25 years and was eager to tackle this problem. At that time, no sweet basil varieties were resistant to basil downy mildew and growers began relying heavily on fungicide application to avoid devastating crop losses. Sweet basil is among the most popular and economically important culinary herbs, but by 2010, US production began to feel the impact of a newly emerging destructive disease: basil downy mildew. ![]()
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