On Monday, July 2, 2018, the International Bremia Evaluation Board for Europe (IBEB-EU) officially listed two new breeds of Bremia, Bl: 34EU and Bl: 35EU. All tests with the Bejo lettuce assortment have shown that these commercial varieties with resistance Bl:16-33EU are resistant to Bremia Bl:16-35EU as well.
Bremia lactucae, also known as downy mildew, is one of the most destructive diseases regarding lettuce. Therefore, it is important for growers to use lettuce varieties that have a maximum resistance to this pathogen.
Gerhard Völkel, Bejo's Crop Manager for Lettuce, says, "Last year, we were happy to have the Bl:33EU resistance in the most relevant part of our lettuce assortment. Now the same varieties also cover these new Bremia breeds. We will continue to focus our efforts on breeding the next generation of lettuce varieties for the best possible Bremia resistance."
