Babyleaf spinach growers are being warned to be alert to the dangers of a new race of Downy Mildew.
It is believed this new strain of the virus could overcome existing genetic resistance of some varieties of Downy Mildew covering races 1 - 14.
The new strain of Peronospora farinose was first identified in the US, but has subsequently been found in a number of locations around the world.
A Dutch-based International Working Group has now designated the new race as Pfs: 15, and declared that it has the ability to spread across a wide area and cause a significant financial impact to growers.
Researchers have recognised that the new race of Downy Mildew appears to have similar characteristics to a previously prevalent strain, Pfs: 4. However, some varieties that were resistant to Pfs: 4 can still prove susceptible to the new Pfs: 15 strain.
Syngenta salad specialist, George Hallam, said: “The good news is that, while this is a new race, a number of the resistance mechanisms already used in the Syngenta spinach variety breeding programme have proved robust and effective against Pfs: 15.
“Our varieties have the necessary broad-base disease resistance genes in-situ, to give growers greater protection from evolving Downy Mildew issues. Syngenta can offer different resistance packages, such as El Real pfs 1-12,14,15 and El Tajin 1-9,11-15, to cover both the spring and autumn seasons.'
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