Kevin Schneider

---

The consequences of infection with Xylella - The Trees on The Right -hand side have not been exposed to the bacterium

researchers say that the economic costs of a deadly pathogen affecting Olive trees in Europe more than 20 billion euros.

you have modeled The Future of the worst effects of the Xylella fastidiosa pathogen, which has killed parts of The Trees in Italy.

the spread of The Insect , the bacterium poses a potential threat to Olive plantations in Spain and Greece.

The disease could be the increase in the cost of oil for consumers.

Xylella is considered to be one of The Most dangerous pathogens for plants anywhere in The World . Currently there is no cure for the infection.

It can infect, cherry, almond and plum trees as well as olives.

It has been discovered closely connected with olives, to a tribe in The Trees in the Puglia in Italy in the year 2013.

The Organism is transmitted by sap-sucking insects, such as spittlebugs.

The infection limits of The Tree withered, the ability to water and nutrients, and in the course of time and dies.

plants infected with the bacteria need to be destroyed to prevent the spread

In Italy, the consequences of the spread of the disease have been devastating, with an estimated 60% decline in crop yields since The First discovery in the year 2013.

"The damage to the olives caused a devaluation of the value of The Land , and the tourist attractiveness of this region," said Dr. Maria Saponari, by the CNR-Institute for Sustainable plant protection in Italy.

"He's had a severe impact on The Local economy and jobs in agriculture. "

as well As in Italy, the bacteria Xylella has now been found, in Spain, France and Portugal.

combat currently, the removal of infected trees, and clamping down comprises The Movement of the plants and the insects, the spread of the disease.

But if these measures fail, what are the financial implications of the infection?

researchers modeled various scenarios such as what would happen if everyone stopped growing due to tree death.

they also compared the Worst Case , with a scenario, where replanting with resistant varieties.

The Team has, the forecasts for Italy, Spain and Greece, which between them account for 95% of European Olive Oil production.

Olive trees dry out and eventually die of Xylella infecton

In Spain, if the infection is advanced, and the majority of The Trees were infected and died, the costs could run to 17 billion euros over The Next 50 Years .

A scenario similar to that in Italy, a proportion of about five billion euros, while in Greece, the losses under two billion euros would be.

If the rate of infection is slowed, or resistant varieties are planted, instead, would be significantly reducing these costs.

However, the authors, Whatever Happens believe it is probably a knock-on effect on the consumer.

"The expected effect could be that there would be a shortage of supply," said lead author Kevin Schneider of the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands.

"And I would expect that when prices go up, consumers are worse off. "

The authors say that while their analysis is concerned with economy, there are also potentially large tourist and cultural damage that can't be ignored by the bacterium,.

"you are really devastating stories from infected fruit to hear of gardens which have been inherited, over the generations," said Dr. Schneider.

"It is the same orchard that were not of their grandparents once the work is on. So, as an economic number, on The Loss of something like this. The cultural heritage value is much greater than we could calculate. "

There are a growing number of scientific initiatives to try and take The Fight against the bacterium, including the use of insect repellent, Tone, vegetative barriers, and genetic analysis to determine why some plants are more susceptible to the infection than others.

Ultimately, the researchers believe that the beat of The Pathogen require trees that are resistant to the disease.

"the search for resistant cultivars or immune species is one of The Most promising and ecologically sustainable, long-term control strategies, which the European scientific community, is dedicated to relevant research efforts," Dr. Saponari,

"Sustainable strategies for the reduction of the population of the insects is The Other pillar for the control of vector-borne disease, in this context, mechanical interventions for removal of weeds in the spring is one of The Most effective treatments for reducing populations of The Insect , in fact, some other strategies are also investigated to implement, the added control of the insects," she said.

While the two varieties of Olive -tree have been found, have a certain resistance, the authors call for research in this area to significantly increase.

in the journal Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

follow Matt

italy, plants, trees, greece, insects, spain, food industry, xylella fastidiosa

Source of news: bbc.com