Spinach

Spinach diseases not only cause imperfections, they also damage a plant’s ability to photosynthesize, which hurts yield potential and decreases the overall product quality. That’s why researchers at Syngenta Vegetable Seeds are constantly on top of new races of diseases.

Downy mildew / Peronospora effusa is one of the most common fungal diseases in spinach cultivation, often causing setbacks, particularly during the spring and autumn seasons. Even resistant varieties are susceptible to attacks, as new strains continue to emerge globally.The International Working Group on Peronospora in spinach (IWGP) has identified a new race, Pe: 20, which adds to the previously known 19 races (Pe: 1-19).Our spinach varieties have undergone testing for the new strain.View the results > 

 Varietal resistance to spinach downy mildew is now one of the most important selection criteria in variety choice for the UK’s specialist growers, according to Syngenta leafy salad specialist, Rosemary Atwood.The announcement of two new official races of the spinach downy mildew pathogen (Peronospora effusa) this season further increases the challenge for the industry and the focus for breeding programmes.  The newly declared race Pe:18 has been found widely across Europe, with the strain Pe:19 predominantly in the US. However, the International Working Group on Peronospora in spinach (IWGP), has declared: ‘both races pose a significant threat to the spinach industry in all parts of the world, and resistance to these new races is important’.“We are increasingly seeing the importance of varietal resistance in helping to effectively prevent what can be devastating outbreaks of downy mildew,” reported Rosemary.“Crucially, our breeders have been monitoring development of the pathogen across…