Sakata Seed America releases downy mildew resistant sunflower: Vincent’s Choice Deep Orange DMR

Sakata Seed America recently introduced a new cut flower variety with downy mildew resistance. Vincent’s Choice Deep Orange DMR sunflower addresses the serious issue of downy mildew and the detrimental effect the disease has on crop yield and plant quality.

Downy mildew is a serious threat to sunflower production. When the crop is affected, a yellowish green lesion is visible on the leaves. If symptoms progress, the stock will shrink and cannot reach sufficient plant height, resulting in production losses. In recent years, downy mildew damage is becoming a more serious problem for both oilseed and ornamental cut flower production. In severe cases, over 50% of plants in a given field can be lost.

Sakata is the first breeder to develop an innovative new variety of ornamental sunflower that solves this serious issue. A new addition to the celebrated Vincent® series developed by Sakata in 2009, Vincent’s Choice Deep Orange DMR is easy to grow and produces an abundance of high quality cut flowers. It has a deep orange color and a bit more pointed petal form than the other varieties in the series: Vincent’s Choice and Vincent’s Fresh. Best of all, it is resistant to most of more than 10 races of downy mildew that currently affect sunflower.

DMR, or ‘Downy Mildew Resistant,’ allows this exciting new variety to avoid the risk of lower yield from downy mildew which occurs especially under high humidity and 59-77°F (15-25°C) conditions. “This is a major breakthrough for the industry, but particularly for growers. With the onset of downy mildew as a major production issue came solutions like spraying chemicals, and the cost of labor and spraying machines associated with doing so. All of which come at a huge cost to the grower. This is a huge win for sunflower cut flower production!” exclaims Key Account Manager, Jamie Kitz.

Sakata is committed to developing innovative varieties that drive the industry forward by meeting the dynamic needs of growers and end-consumers alike. The new disease resistance of Vincent, a staple series in the industry, is a prime example of Sakata always pushing for innovation and the betterment of the industry.