European research into Xylella fastidiosa is progressing in a number of areas, including resistant plants, insect vectors, targeted pest control strategies and advanced early detection technologies such as image analysis techniques. These were the main conclusions of a conference organised on 20 August in Lyon, France, by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
The conference also showed that preparation and early detection remain essential in the fight against this bacterium, which is transmitted and carried by insect vectors, and which attacks a very broad spectrum of plants: vines, olive trees, fruit trees (Prunus), citrus, coffee, oak and alfalfa. On the European continent, the disease is present in Italy, France, Spain and Portugal.
The fourth European conference on Xylella took place as part of the International Congress on Plant Pathology (ICPP2023).
An Italian researcher presented data on the situation in Puglia, showing a “significant slowdown in the spread northwards and a lessening of the epidemic in the south”. An Israeli expert said that she has identified a genotype of almond resistant to Xylella, which could help Spain in its fight against the disease. A French researcher said they had found a correlation between the frequency of positive vectors for the bacterium and temperature. A higher prevalence corresponded to milder winters. Climate projections show that the risk of a Xylella fastidiosa epidemic will increase in the future, according to the French expert.
The conference was chaired by Blanca Landa, who is coordinating the European BeXyl (Beyond Xylella) project, and Giuseppe Stancanelli, head of the EFSA’s Plant Health Risk Assessment Team.
With plant pests and diseases posing a major economic and social threat to Europe, EFSA recently launched the #PlantHealth4Life campaign, in partnership with the European Commission and EU Member States (see EUROPE 13230/14).
Link to the BeXyl project: https://aeur.eu/f/8be (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)