Rutgers Scientists Document Fight Against Basil Disease in New Video Series
In laboratories and greenhouses at Rutgers University-New Brunswick – alongside collaborators at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Florida, and Bar-Ilan University – scientists are advancing plant breeding innovations to protect one of the world’s most widely used herbs: basil.
Now, supported by a $3.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, that research story is coming to life through a new science-in-action video series that captures both the urgency and the ingenuity behind the work.
Basil (Ocimum spp.), a staple in cuisines around the globe, has faced mounting threats from destructive plant diseases. Since the early 2000s, downy mildew, caused by Peronospora belbahrii, has severely disrupted basil production worldwide. In 2007, researchers at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences initiated breeding efforts to develop sweet basil varieties resistant to the pathogen. Their early successes offered growers hope and new tools for disease management.
Yet the challenge quickly evolved. The pathogen adapted, generating new strains capable of overcoming previously resistant varieties. At the same time, bacterial leaf spot emerged as an additional and complicating threat. The dynamic nature of these diseases demanded a faster, more sophisticated scientific response.
In response, Rutgers scientists helped launch the U.S. Basil Consortium, an interdisciplinary, multi-university collaboration bringing together plant breeders, pathologists, chemists, geneticists, extension specialists and molecular biologists to tackle the problem. Their goal is to develop sustainable, cost-effective and environmentally responsible solutions that reduce reliance on chemical controls while protecting growers from economic losses.
Today, the fight for basil has moved to the molecular level. Researchers are identifying new sources of genetic resistance and tracking them using DNA markers. Whole-genome sequencing of resistant and susceptible basil varieties is helping scientists pinpoint critical differences in disease response. Greenhouse and field trials across the United States and internationally are providing insight into the genetics of both the pathogen and the plant itself.
Advanced technologies are accelerating progress. Gene-editing tools are being used to better understand and potentially enhance resistance pathways. Large-scale bioinformatic analyses are helping to uncover the genetic foundations of key traits, while conventional breeding strategies are stacking, or “pyramiding,” resistance genes to create cultivars with long-lasting protection. Together, these approaches aim to ensure that specialty crop farmers can grow basil with fewer pesticide inputs and greater confidence in their harvests.
The newly launched video series documents this scientific journey. Produced through the Rutgers Immersive Learning through Science Storytelling Research Lab, the series offers an inside look at research in action by capturing lab discoveries, field trials, setbacks and breakthroughs in real time.
“The team assembled by Jim Simon is the epitome of transdisciplinary. Their stakeholders are the focal point of all their efforts and are fully invested in the scientific process,” said Thomas Bewick, National Program Leader – Horticulture at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). “They use video to document the impact of their projects in innovative ways that engage their stakeholders and inspire them to change. What you get is the whole package.”
Developed as part of the USDA-supported research initiative on disease-resistant basil cultivars, the series blends rigorous science with storytelling, making complex plant genetics accessible to growers, students, and the broader public.
Weekly episodes will be released on the project’s science video stories webpage and shared via YouTube and Instagram, bringing audiences alongside the researchers as they work to safeguard a global food favorite.
