Nufar basil facts for kids

Nufar basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Nufar') is a special type of sweet basil. It is the first basil plant known to be resistant to a serious plant disease called fusarium wilt. This disease makes plants suddenly wilt and die. It is caused by a tiny fungus that blocks the water flow inside the plant's stem. Even if Nufar basil gets infected, it usually shows no signs of the disease. This unique basil was first introduced in 1999 in Israel by plant breeders from the Agricultural Research Organization. Genesis Seeds then helped make it available to everyone.

What is Nufar Basil?

Nufar basil is a specific type of sweet basil plant. It was created to be strong against a common plant sickness. This sickness, called fusarium wilt, can cause many plants, including basil, to die quickly. Nufar basil is special because it can get infected by the fungus that causes the disease but still stay healthy.

Understanding Fusarium Wilt

Fusarium wilt is a plant disease caused by a type of fungus. This fungus attacks the plant's "xylem," which are like tiny tubes inside the stem. The xylem's job is to carry water from the roots to the rest of the plant. When the fungus attacks, it blocks these tubes. This stops the water from reaching the leaves, causing them to wilt suddenly. Even if you water the plant, it won't get better because the water can't move up the stem.

How Nufar Basil Resists Disease

Nufar basil has a natural defense against fusarium wilt. Even when the fungus is present, Nufar basil plants remain healthy. They do not show the wilting or dying that other basil plants would. This resistance means Nufar basil can grow well even in soil where the disease-causing fungus lives.

The Discovery of Resistance

Scientists in Israel first found basil plants that could resist fusarium wilt. This happened in 1997. They found these strong plants among a local basil variety that originally came from the United States. The scientists planted basil seeds in soil that was full of the disease-causing fungus. They then looked for plants that survived and showed no signs of sickness. These healthy plants became the starting point for Nufar basil.

Developing Nufar Basil

After finding the first resistant plants, scientists worked to make the resistance even stronger. They grew several more generations of these basil plants in infected soil in a greenhouse. They carefully selected only the plants that remained healthy. All the Nufar basil plants developed this way stayed healthy. In contrast, regular basil plants would wilt and lose their leaves within three weeks in the same infected soil. This suggests that Nufar basil's ability to resist the disease might come from a single, strong gene.

Images for kids

• 

  NUFAR - a sweet basil cultivar resistant to Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. basilicum - several stages in resistance tests