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Asparagus bred to beat phytophtora fungus

Canterbury plant breeder Peter Falloon has developed the world's first asparagus cultivar to have resistance to phytophthora, a fungus that eats the plants' roots and can devastate crops.

"It is exciting and the nice thing is it's done in New Zealand, so the growers here can take advantage of it," he said.

"One of the main drivers in food crops is reduced chemical application and this is a major aim of the asparagus industry in New Zealand. So this gives it a jump on the rest of the world.