2Blades and Sakata Seed have completed a non-exclusive license to the sequence of the pepper disease resistance gene, bs5. The agreement provides Sakata with rights to use the gene sequence and markers in conventional breeding of peppers to develop Xanthomonas-resistant varieties. Bacterial spot disease, caused by Xanthomonas infection, is a major production limitation of both pepper and tomato worldwide.  2Blades has supported the development of a number of resistance approaches and aims to get these into broad use for commercial and subsistence agriculture.