Development of strategies for the eradication, containment and control of Xylella fastidiosa on olive trees in Spain
Xylella fastidiosa is a quarantine bacterial pathogen transmitted by insect vectors, which is decimating olive groves across the European Union (EU). There is still no known way of eradicating this devastating disease, the spread of which shows no signs of slowing any time soon. The great pathogen potential in olive trees could be devastating and the financial consequences are a major threat for the UE. Climate change is expected to create conditions that are especially favorable for the development and spread of the bacteria.
This is a three-year’s project started in August 2018 and will end in August 202, and it is financed by La Organización Interprofesional del Aceite de Oliva Español. The project bring 7 partners together: The Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad de Girona (UdG), Universitat de València (UV), Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB), Institut de Recerca i Tecnoligia Agroalimentària (IRTA) and the Instituto de Investigación y Formación Agraria y Pesquera (IFAPA).
The topics of the research are:
- To develop regional risk assessments and guidelines to improve the erradication and the control of the vectors of Xf
- To determine the genetic diversity and host range of Xf populations present in Spain that could put in a threat the sustainability of the olive crop
- To determine the pathogenicity of Xf isolates representative of the Spanish populations in the main cultivars of Spanish olive trees
- To characterize the infection process and the genotype/phenotype response of the different wild olive and olive trees cultivars
- To study the biology and ecology of potential insect vectors of Xf associated with olive tree in Spain
- To establish the scientific grounds for extension and communication activities to inform about Xf diseases to the Spanish olive sector
Financiation:
La Organización Interprofesional del Aceite de Oliva Español
