The USDA-Agricultural Research Service news service reported last week that its scientists teamed up with UC Davis plant pathologist Krishna Subbarao to produce lettuce resistant to verticillium wilt, a soil-borne fungus that destroys the plant.
More than a half-dozen companies that produce lettuce seeds have requested seed samples, according to Ryan Hayes, ARS research plant geneticist in Salinas, Calif., the principle investigator of the project.
"Breeding lettuce with natural resistance (to disease) remains the most environmentally friendly, economical and sustainable option for combating the fungus," according to the news release, written by Marcia Wood. In the release, she reported that verticillium wilt first showed up in coastal California lettuce fields in 1995.