Basil is an important crop – an almost $3 billion US export market. The increasing prevalence and severity of bacterial leaf spot disease caused by Pseudomonas cichorii, and the lack of known resistance to leaf spot disease in commercially available basil cultivars, motivates the need for a rapid screening approach to identify potential leaf spot disease-resistant germplasm within the basil (Ocimum) genus. Jim Simon’s lab developed a rapid screening method to identify leaf spot disease resistance in basil germplasm. The screening method identified a range of leaf spot disease susceptibility across commercial basil cultivars, with some being more resistant than others. The screening method can be used to identify leaf spot disease-resistant basil lines from broader Ocimum germplasm collections for use in breeding programs. Evaluating disease severity at the second true leaf stage accurately reflects mature plant responses. Using this method, they screened 35 commercial basil cultivars, revealing significant variation in leaf spot disease susceptibility but no complete resistance. The study highlights the utility of this efficient greenhouse assay for identifying potential resistance for basil breeding programs.
Barrett, Alexander J., Nrupali Patel, Don Kobayashi, Christian A. Wyenandt, and James E. Simon. "A Rapid Screening Approach to Identify Resistance to Basil Bacterial Leaf Spot (Pseudomonas cichorii)." HortScience 60, no. 3 (2025): 369-373. https://journals.ashs.org/hortsci/view/journals/hortsci/60/3/article-p369.xml
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