Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Deadly olive tree disease across Europe
'could cost billions'
Xylella fastidiosa is an aerobic,
Gram-negative bacterium of the monotypic genus Xylella. It is considered to be
one of the most dangerous pathogens for plants as no cure for the infection has
been found yet. Xylella could infect cherry, almond, plum trees, and olives. In
Europe, olive trees were the main victim of the pathogens. Once infected, the
tree is limited the ability to move water and nutrients, thus it withers and
dies.
For the world’s three largest olive oil
producers, Spain, Greece, and Italy, this bacterium is as deadly as coronavirus
to the economy. Though trees don’t move around to spread the disease like careless
humans, insects do. Until researchers come up with the disease-resistant trees,
the only way to cope with this disease is to remove infected trees. Now, in the
midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been devastating Italy, this olive killer
bacterium is spreading across the country’s plantations. For those who depend on olive oil for their cooking and dining, this could have a huge impact on their
diet and wallet.
Read the article and learn about an outbreak
of this deadly plant pathogen.
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