Lt Defense

Lt Defense

Powdery mildew (Leveillula taurica (Lt)) is one of the most serious diseases in peppers. Rijk Zwaan has developed a resistance against Lt. This resistance is present in more and more of Rijk Zwaan’s pepper varieties. They are identifiable by the Lt label.

Less mildew

Lt-resistant pepper varieties have an intermediate resistance to powdery mildew. This means that they are less susceptible to damage by mildew than standard varieties. The Lt Defense varieties are able to slow down mildew growth and development. This not only delays damage to the crop but also gives growers more time to react to any damage. Furthermore, the varieties achieve the customary high standards of quality and production.

Practical benefits

Thanks to the intermediate resistance, growers need to use fewer crop protection agents to combat mildew. That has significant benefits including:

• Cost savings
• Better working conditions
• An environment more conducive to natural enemies of mildew, necessitating the use of even fewer crop protection agents
• Less residues, in line with retailers’ wishes.

This resistance results in a healthier crop and hence a higher yield.

Most crop protection agents against mildew contain sulphur which damages the plastic in greenhouses. Thanks to the Lt resistance, the plastic lasts for longer. This leads to cost savings and is better for the environment since it helps to reduce waste and produces a smaller carbon footprint.

For the assortment for your region, please visit the assortment page.