Xylella fastidiosa is a phytopathogenic bacteria that attacks a great variety of crops. Fundamentally to the olive tree, the vine and the almond tree.
Among many other threats, the irreversible damages it causes are:
- First by drying the leaves.
- Then drying of the branches.
- Finally dried the entire bush.
Solutions for your control
For the moment, the only solution to stop the damage is to isolate the infected specimens within a radius of 100 meters around the infected specimen .
Origin of Xylella fastidiosa
- Originally from California, it was detected in 2013 in southern Italy, devastating more than 230,000 hectares.
- In 2016 in the Balearic Islands (1 million individuals affected).
- In 2017 for the first time in the Iberian Peninsula in Guadalest (Alicante) with more than 1000 hectares affected
- Finally, a specimen in Villarejo de Salvanés (Community of Madrid).
TRANSMISSION
Xylella fastidiosa is transmitted through biting / sucking insects that feed on the xylem, remaining in their mouthparts and subsequently transmitted to the next specimen on which that insect is going to feed.
The main problem that we find is the difficulty of controlling insects.
These carry the bacteria in your oral apparatus and it does not help that in the laboratory it is also difficult to isolate and cultivate it, in order to find a solution for its control.
SHOCK PLANS
The Community of Madrid has made the decision to approve a contingency plan valued at 2 million euros to address the problem.
The company Tragsa , already in charge of alleviating the problem in Mallorca and Alicante, has been hired to carry out samples and applications of phytosanitary products in the infected area.
The planned expenditure to clean the 100 meter radius of influence around the infected specimen is around 520,000 euros more or less.
Later the remains will be eliminated, it has not yet been decided whether by incineration or recycling as compost.
Also part of the funds are dedicated to the laboratories of the Madrid Institute for Rural, Agrarian and Agri-food Research and Development ( IMIDRA ) and the hiring of new staff.
In short, we have to be aware of this bacterium that can bring more than one problem to Spanish farmers due to its aggressiveness and difficult control.
Article Source: The World
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