Headline : Saving Mediterranean olives from a destructive disease

Read more from the original article on here at www.fao.org.

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FAO is helping prevent Xylella fastidiosa from spreading to the Near East and North Africa

Xylella fastidiosa is a bacterial disease that in recent years has managed to establish itself in spots along the Mediterranean, where it is attacking economically important crops such as olive, citrus, stone fruits and grapevines. With no known cure, the disease threatens to spread further to the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region. To help smallholder farmers protect their crops and livelihoods, FAO is supporting efforts in NENA countries to raise awareness of the threat and implement technologies and techniques that can help prevent, detect and contain this deadly disease.

In 2013, Italian researchers made a troubling discovery: one of the world’s most destructive plant diseases, normally found in the Americas, had made its way to Italy’s olive trees. With no known cure, the pathogen has already affected more than 10 million trees in Italy’s south-eastern tip. If not properly contained, it threatens to spread across the entire Mediterranean basin. The Italian government contracted national research institutions and the International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) to survey and contain Xylella fastidiosa. However, other Mediterranean countries are at great risk if the disease spreads further.

Not only olive trees but also more than 500 other plant species are hosts for the various strains of the bacterium. If not prevented, smallholder farmers in the NENA region could have their livelihoods devastated and national economies destabilized by the potential spread into the region. Because of these risks, FAO has launched a project to support NENA countries in their efforts to prevent the introduction and spread of this disease.

Read more from the original article on here at www.fao.org.

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