Skip to main content
Log in

Effectiveness of the monitoring of X. fastidiosa subsp. pauca in the olive orchards of Southern Italy (Apulia)

  • Published:
Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In 2013, an outbreak of Xylella fastidiosa was identified for the first time in Europe, in the extreme South of Italy (Apulia, Salento territory). The locally identified subspecies turned to be lethal for olive trees, starting an unprecedented phytosanitary emergency for one of the most iconic cultivations of the Mediterranean area. The Apulian-monitoring program of the epidemic amassed data on several hundreds of thousands of laboratory screening for the bacterium presence, jointly with georeferenced sample information. Starting from these data, it is possible to show that Xylella fastidiosa spreads by forming new, tightly clustered groups of infected plants (epidemic hotspots), with 98% of the infected trees separated by less than 100 mt from another infected tree. Surprisingly, more than three quarters of the newly detected epidemic hotspots are farther than 1 km from any previously known infected plants. Considering this finding, either long-range spreading of the bacterium is underestimated, or the current monitoring strategy must be called into question. In both cases, however, it can be anticipated that, under the current monitoring protocol, yearly epidemic spreading 1–15 km far from olive trees currently labeled as infected will be more common than previously thought.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1: a
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

Availability of data and materials

All data are available upon request to the author.

Abbreviations

TAP:

Trans-adriatic pipeline

MT:

Microtunnel

PRT:

Pipeline receiving terminal

OQDS:

Olive quick decline syndrome

References

  • Bucci EM (2018) Xylella fastidiosa, a new plant pathogen that threatens global farming: ecology, molecular biology, search for remedies. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 502:173–182

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • EFSA Panel on Plant Health (PLH) (2015) Scientific opinion on the risks to plant health posed by Xylella fastidiosa in the EU territory, with the identification and evaluation of risk reduction options. EFSA J 13:3989

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • European Commission Directorate for Health and Food Safety (2018) Commission database of host plants found to be susceptible to Xylella fastidiosa in the Union territory - update 11

  • Fierro A, Liccardo A, Porcelli F (2019) A lattice model to manage the vector and the infection of the Xylella fastidiosa on olive trees. Sci. Rep. 9:8723

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halkka OK (1971) Factors determining the size and composition of island population of Philaenus spumarius (L.) (Hom.). Acta Entomol. Fenn

  • Halkka O, Raatikainen M, Vasarainen A, Heinonen L (1967) Ecology and ecological genetics of Philaenus spumarius (L.) (Homoptera). Ann Zool Fenn 4:1–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Jeger M et al (2018) Updated pest categorisation of Xylella fastidiosa. EFSA J 16

  • King DR (1958) The ecology of the meadow spittlebug. State University, Ohio

  • Safady NG, Lopes JRS, Francisco CS, Coletta-Filho HD (2019) Distribution and genetic diversity of Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca associated with olive quick syndrome symptoms in Southeastern Brazil. Phytopathology 109:257–264

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strona G, Carstens CJ, Beck PSA (2017) Network analysis reveals why Xylella fastidiosa will persist in Europe. Sci Rep 7:71

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White SM, Bullock JM, Hooftman DAP, Chapman DS (2017) Modelling the spread and control of Xylella fastidiosa in the early stages of invasion in Apulia, Italy. Biol Invasions 19:1825–1837

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiegert RG (1964) Population energetics of meadow spittlebugs (Philaenus spumarius L.) as affected by migration and habitat. Ecol Monogr 34:217–241

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zarco-Tejada PJ et al (2018) Previsual symptoms of Xylella fastidiosa infection revealed in spectral plant-trait alterations. Nat Plants 4:432–439

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

The author received no funding for the present research work.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Enrico M. Bucci.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The author declares no competing interests for the present research work.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Bucci, E.M. Effectiveness of the monitoring of X. fastidiosa subsp. pauca in the olive orchards of Southern Italy (Apulia). Rend. Fis. Acc. Lincei 30, 681–688 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12210-019-00832-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12210-019-00832-6

Keywords

Navigation