In Salento and beyond, the struggle continues to overcome the problem of Xylella fastidiosa which would be the cause of the drying up of hundreds of olive trees. New hope comes from research that focuses on wild olive trees.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
In Salento and beyond, the struggle continues to overcome the problem of Xylella fastidiosa which would be the cause of the drying up of hundreds of olive trees. New hope comes from research that focuses on wild olive trees.
A new line of anti-Xylella research focuses on wild olive trees to understand how plants can live with the killer bacterium without being attacked. The studies will concern the olive trees already present in the area and new spontaneous plants (not selected) born in the seedbeds.
The researchers of Cnr of Bari and Perugia in collaboration with the agricultural entrepreneur Giovanni Melcarne they began to study 10 unique specimens of asymptomatic olive trees found in an area very affected by Xylella, in the countryside of Presicce, Ugento and Castrignano.
Read also: THE XYLELLA IS THE REAL CAUSE OF THE DEATH OF THE OLIVE TREES OF SALENTO, WORD FROM EFSA
All the olive trees tested negative for Xylella while the surrounding olive trees were heavily affected by the bacterium. Research on wild olive trees is used to detect factors of resistance, tolerance or immunity to Xylella fastidiosa.
Read also: XYLELLA: THE SALENTINES SAY NO TO THE MASSACRE OF THE OLIVE TREES WITH PROTESTS AND BLOCKS (VIDEO)
The new line of research on Xylella was illustrated yesterday, December 12, by Coldiretti in Presicce. Deepening the research according to experts could save those rare varieties of olive trees that are now at risk of disappearing due to Xylella.
Read also: XYLELLA: 6 RESISTANT OLIVE VARIETIES TO SAVE OLIVE GROWING IN SALENTO
There are numerous specimens of wild olive trees present in Salento which obviously they differ from the olive trees selected by farmers for cultivation. Olive trees selected by farmers may be more vulnerable to Xylella than native varieties.
So is the secret to defeating Xylella found in the wild olive trees?
Marta Albè
