MANAGING DOWNY MILDEW AND FUSARIUM IN BASIL WITH NEW RESISTANT VARIETIES, IMPROVED GENETICS, SEED TREATMENT, AND DISEASE OCCURRENCE MAPPING

We have developed initial DM and FOB resistance to create stable lines with distinct phenotypes, aromas and taste. This project will, using already developed screening methodologies, molecular tools and proposed high-throughput screening, now work toward efficiently and rapidly stack multiple disease resistant traits into single sweet basil varieties with desirable horticultural characteristics such as yield, compactness, and leaf shape along with other final product quality traits (aroma and flavor). Our stakeholders will test these lines in their own commercial operations and sites and this participatory selection and breeding approach with growers and processors will expedite new varietal development for the commercial marketplace, and ensure the developed lines meet their commercial needs. To support the breeding, we developed the first genetic linkage map for sweet basil that now provides the foundation for future marker-assisted selection (MAS) for important traits proposed here. Genetic linkage maps are the most fundamental of resources for a crop species and have been available for decades for the major crops. By positioning ourselves to identify additional sources and genes of resistance should multiple races of basil DM and/or FOB appear, as has been observed with many other DM and FOB susceptible crops the basil industry will be less vulnerable and in a stronger position to effectively respond to emerging pathogens. This project will also develop robust cultural and management strategies for the control of DM and FOB with improved genetic resistance cultivars and track the economic positive cost: benefits and gains to growers.