Fusarium is a major threat to lettuce. The fungus can damage lettuce through the root system and cause yield loss in both greenhouse and open field crops. In 2015, a new Fusarium variety, race 4 (Fol: 4), was detected in lettuce in Europe.
In May 2022, the International Seed Federation implemented an officially agreed testing protocol to verify resistance to this breed. Most of the current lettuce varieties of Rijk Zwaan are resistant to the new variety of Fusarium.
The New Fusarium Race in Europe
The newest Fusarium variety in lettuce (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Lactuacae) was first described in 2016 by Giraldi et al. Since then, Fusarium 4 variety, which has been detected in many countries of Europe, is not found in other continents of the world.
Rijk Zwaan's Resistant Lettuces
Johan Schut, head of lettuce cultivation at Rijk Zwaan; “In our breeding program, we are constantly working to improve the characteristics of our lettuce varieties, including developing resistances to new variants of plant diseases. Fusarium is a major threat to lettuce growers around the world. The newly described test protocol confirms that most of our lettuce varieties are resistant to this new Fusarium strain.” says.
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Sustainable Solution
Rijk Zwaan is a strong advocate of an integrated approach to combating plant diseases to reduce the use of chemical plant protection agents. Although resistant varieties play an important role in this, the company also recommends the use of plant protection agents and hygiene measures to prevent the development of new Fusarium variants. Good hygiene practices, such as burying crop residues and promptly removing diseased plants, can help limit the spread of Fusarium in lettuce.