A team of researchers from the UK has found a new form of resistance to the damaging pathogen that causes light leaf spot in oilseed rape.

The team’s research was published in the Plant Pathology journal last week. The research took place at Rothamsted Research and was led by Professor Bruce Fitt, who explained the impact the research could have on the global bid to protect arable crops from disease. image expired

The team's results indicate the resistance to light leaf spot in a variety of oilseed rape (Brassica napus) comes from a single "R gene." The R gene inhibits the pathogen's asexual reporuction, which occurs regularly during the cropping season, but allows sexual reproduction, which generally only happens once a year. It therefore reduces the chances of a light leafspot epidemic developing during the growing season.  

Professor Fitt, a leading authority on oilseed rape diseases, said, "This is the first time that anyone has come up with a finding like this in crop resistance. Our results could lead to new strategies for breeding resistance against crop pathogens, leading to increased yields and reduced costs both to the farmer and the environment and reduce the need for chemical fungicides."

Oilseed rape's versatility has made it one of the world's most important brassica crops; it is grown for vegetable oil, and for use in biodiesel and animal feed. It is the most important oil crop grown in the EU.

According to Professor Fitt, "The holy grail for crop breeders is a resistance that lasts and is not broken down by changes in pathogen populations. Examples such as the resistance we have discovered with a specific variety of oilseed rape offers new possibilities for breeders."