EU: Rijk Zwaan presents late blight-resistant lettuce varieties

On July 1st, the European committee of the International bremia evaluation board (Ibeb-Eu) named three new, widely spread lettuce downy mildew breeds: Bl:38EU, Bl:39EU and Bl:40EU. A substantial number of Rijk Zwaan's lettuce varieties are resistant to the new breeds. Bremia can damage lettuce leaves both in protected cultivation and in open fields, with consequent loss of production yield. Although new strains of the pathogen (Bremia lactucae or Bl) have been found across Europe, only one or two of them are currently present in most areas. Ibeb-Eu expects these variants to spread further in the summer and autumn of this year; however, it is difficult to predict which areas will be more or less affected. The genetic evolution of bremia is continuous. “In Rijk Zwaan's phytopathological research facility - explains Hans van der Schee, phytopathology implementation assistant - we carry out in-depth tests throughout the year to verify whether our lettuce varieties are resistant to the ...