Italy: Basil, with Tea plants resistant to downy mildew

Basil blight is a fungus that is creating increasing problems for farmers. Thanks to Tea (Assisted Evolution Technologies), the researchers at Crea have managed to obtain resistant plants. Basil downy mildew (Peronospora belbahrii) is a pathogen that is playing an increasingly central role in the cultivation of this aromatic herb. The fungus, which arrived from abroad in 2003 and reported for the first time in Piedmont and Liguria, is capable of severely affecting crops, causing even considerable damage, so much so that in the areas suited to this crop, especially in Liguria, there is research of an effective solution. To date, the only way of defense has in fact proved to be prevention, that is, the creation of conditions that discourage the development of the fungus. But the solution to this problem could come from the workshops of the Crea Orticoltura e florivivaismo. Thanks to the use of Tea, the Assisted Evolution Technologies (New breeding techniques, in English), the ...