scholarly journals Landscape composition predicts the distribution of Philaenus spumarius, vector of Xylella fastidiosa, in olive groves

2019 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
pp. 1101-1109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giacomo Santoiemma ◽  
Giovanni Tamburini ◽  
Francesco Sanna ◽  
Nicola Mori ◽  
Lorenzo Marini
Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Cavalieri ◽  
Giuseppe Altamura ◽  
Giulio Fumarola ◽  
Michele di Carolo ◽  
Maria Saponari ◽  
...  

Diseases associated with Xylella fastidiosa have been described mostly in North and South America. However, during the last five years, widespread X. fastidiosa infections have been reported in a constrained area of the Apulia region (southern Italy), in olives trees suffering a severe disease, denoted as Olive Quick Decline Syndrome (OQDS). Because many xylem sap-feeding insects can function as vectors for the transmission of this exotic pathogen in EU, several research programs are ongoing to assess the role of candidate vectors in the spread of the infections. Initial investigations identified Philaenus spumarius (L.) as the predominant vector species in the olive orchards affected by the OQDS. Additional experiments have been carried out during 2016 and 2017 to assess the role of other species. More specifically, adults of the spittlebugs Philaenus italosignus Drosopolous and Remane, Neophilaenus campestris (Fallen) and of the planthopper Latilica tunetana (Matsumura) (Issidae) have been tested in transmission experiments to assess their ability to acquire the bacterium from infected olives and to infect different susceptible hosts (olives, almond, myrtle –leaf milkwort, periwinkle). Acquisition rates determined by testing individual insects in quantitative PCR assays, ranging from 5.6% in N. campestris to 22.2% in P. italosignus, whereas no acquisition was recorded for L. tunetana. Successful transmissions were detected in the recipient plants exposed to P. italosignus and N. campestris, whereas no trasmissions occurred with L. tunetana. The known vector Philaenus spumarius has been included in all the experiments for validation. The systematic surveys conducted in 2016 and 2017 provided further evidence on the population dynamics and seasonal abundance of the spittlebug populations in the olive groves.


Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 446
Author(s):  
Luca Lombardo ◽  
Pierluigi Rizzo ◽  
Carmine Novellis ◽  
Veronica Vizzarri

Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca, strain CoDiRO is the bacterium responsible for the onset of the disease known as the olive quick decline syndrome, which has been causing a phytosanitary and economic emergency in the Apulia region since 2013. To date, three insect species have been identified as pathogenic carriers of X. fastidiosa. With the advancement of the infection front, and the possibility of pathogenic insects being “hitchhiked” over long distances, the monitoring of the vectors of X. fastidiosa in the Italian regions bordering Apulia is an increasingly contingent issue for the rapid containment of the bacterium and the protection of the olive-growing heritage. Accordingly, the present research concerned the capture and recognition of the vector insects of X. fastidiosa in the upper Ionian coasts of Calabria (Italy) to evaluate the possible presence of the bacterium through molecular diagnostic techniques. The sampling allowed us to ascertain the presence of Philaenus spumarius and Neophilaenus campestris and their preferential distribution in olive groves and meadows, whereas all the 563 individuals tested negative for the pathogen.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Annamaria Castrignanò ◽  
Antonella Belmonte ◽  
Ilaria Antelmi ◽  
Ruggiero Quarto ◽  
Francesco Quarto ◽  
...  

Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca (Xfp) is one of the most dangerous plant pathogens in the world. Identified in 2013 in olive trees in south–eastern Italy, it is spreading to the Mediterranean countries. The bacterium is transmitted by insects that feed on sap, and causes rapid wilting in olive trees. The paper explores the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) in combination with a multispectral radiometer for early detection of infection. The study was carried out in three olive groves in the Apulia region (Italy) and involved four drone flights from 2017 to 2019. To classify Xfp severity level in olive trees at an early stage, a combined method of geostatistics and discriminant analysis was implemented. The results of cross-validation for the non-parametric classification method were of overall accuracy = 0.69, mean error rate = 0.31, and for the early detection class of accuracy 0.77 and misclassification probability 0.23. The results are promising and encourage the application of UAV technology for the early detection of Xfp infection.


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 85
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Tatulli ◽  
Vanessa Modesti ◽  
Nicoletta Pucci ◽  
Valeria Scala ◽  
Alessia L’Aurora ◽  
...  

During recent years; Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca (Xfp) has spread in Salento causing relevant damage to the olive groves. Measures to contain the spreading of the pathogen include the monitoring of the areas bordering the so-called “infected” zone and the tree eradication in case of positive detection. In order to provide a control strategy aimed to maintain the tree productivity in the infected areas, we further evaluated the in vitro and in planta mid-term effectiveness of a zinc-copper-citric acid biocomplex. The compound showed an in vitro bactericidal activity and inhibited the biofilm formation in representative strains of X. fastidiosa subspecies, including Xfp isolated in Apulia from olive trees. The field mid-term evaluation of the control strategy assessed by quantitative real-time PCR in 41 trees of two olive groves of the “infected” area revealed a low concentration of Xfp over the seasons upon the regular spraying of the biocomplex over 3 or 4 consecutive years. In particular, the bacterial concentration lowered in July and October with respect to March, after six consecutive treatments. The trend was not affected by the cultivar and it was similar either in the Xfp-sensitive cultivars Ogliarola salentina and Cellina di Nardò or in the Xfp-resistant Leccino. Moreover, the scoring of the number of wilted twigs over the seasons confirmed the trend. The efficacy of the treatment in the management of olive groves subjected to a high pathogen pressure is highlighted by the yielded a good oil production


Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Dáder ◽  
Elisa Viñuela ◽  
Aránzazu Moreno ◽  
María Plaza ◽  
Elisa Garzo ◽  
...  

The threat imposed by the bacterial pathogen Xylella fastidiosa to crops of utter importance to European agriculture such as olive, stone fruit and grapevine calls for immediate research against the meadow spittlebug, Philaenus spumarius (L.), the main European vector. Management tools should consider reducing juveniles of vector populations growing on weeds or cover crops during spring as nymphs have limited movement and do not contribute to disease spread. We examined a wide range of insecticides with different modes of action against P. spumarius nymphs in laboratory and semi-field glasshouse conditions. Pyrethroids (delthamethrin and λ-cyhalothrin) and natural pyrethrin (Pirecris®) + piperonyl butoxide (PBO) efficacy surpassed 86% after 24 h of exposure, without significant differences in the PBO amount tested. The inclusion of PBO caused a 3-fold increase in the mortality of P. spumarius nymphs compared to pyrethrin alone. Sulfoxaflor (Closer®) exhibited similar efficacy at 48 and 72 h but it was slow acting and mortality only reached 60% at 24 h. The LC90 was 34 ppm at 72 h. Pymetrozine, spirotetramat, azadirachtin and kaolin were not effective against nymphs (mortality <33%) although in azadirachtin-treated plants, mortality had a 3-fold increase from 24 to 72 h. Our results will help decision-making policy bodies to set up a sustainable integrated pest management of P. spumarius in areas where X. fastidiosa becomes a problem.


Redia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 104 ◽  
pp. 75-88
Author(s):  
ELISABETTA GARGANI ◽  
CLAUDIA BENVENUTI ◽  
LEONARDO MARIANELLI ◽  
PIO FEDERICO ROVERSI ◽  
MASSIMO RICCIOLINI ◽  
...  

The vector‐borne bacterium Xylella fastidiosa(Wells and Raju) causes several serious diseases to plants. Recently, different subspecies of X. fastidiosa were reported in some European countries. The risk of the bacterium’s spread on the entire European territory is very high; therefore, it has been added into the priority pest list (2019/1702/EU Regulation). The main purposes of this work were to verify the presence of potential vectors in areas at a high risk of introduction in Tuscany and to ascertain the presence of X. fastidiosa in these insect vectors. Over 4,000 Auchenorrhyncha were collected and analysed from 2015 to 2019. Among the xylem sap-feeder putative vectors, most of the insects collected belonged to the family Aphrophoridae, but also many species of leafhopper were identified. Overall, in Tuscany four species were the most represented: Philaenus spumarius(L.), Cicadella viridis(L.), Synophropsis lauri (Horvath) and Neophilaenus campestris(Fallen).In 2018 an outbreak of X. fastidiosa subsp. multiplex was reported in Monte Argentario (Grosseto province, Tuscany). In 2019 X. fastidiosa subspecies multiplex ST 87 was detected in seven P. spumarius and three N. campestris collected from the infected area.


Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Bodino ◽  
Vincenzo Cavalieri ◽  
Crescenza Dongiovanni ◽  
Matteo Alessandro Saladini ◽  
Anna Simonetto ◽  
...  

Spittlebugs are the vectors of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa Wells in Europe, the causal agent of olive dieback epidemic in Apulia, Italy. Selection and distribution of different spittlebug species on host-plants were investigated during field surveys in 2016–2018 in four olive orchards of Apulia and Liguria Regions of Italy. The nymphal population in the herbaceous cover was estimated using quadrat samplings. Adults were collected by sweeping net on three different vegetational components: herbaceous cover, olive canopy, and wild woody plants. Three species of spittlebugs were collected: Philaenus spumarius L., Neophilaenus campestris (Fallén), and Aphrophora alni (L.) (Hemiptera: Aphrophoridae). Philaenus spumarius was the predominant species both in Apulia and Liguria olive groves. Nymphal stages are highly polyphagous, selecting preferentially Asteraceae Fabaceae plant families, in particular some genera, e.g., Picris, Crepis, Sonchus, Bellis, Cichorium, and Medicago. Host-plant preference of nymphs varies according to the Region and through time and nymphal instar. In the monitored sites, adults peak on olive trees earlier in Apulia (i.e., during inflorescence emergence) than in Liguria (i.e., during flowering and beginning of fruit development). Principal alternative woody hosts are Quercus spp. and Pistacia spp. Knowledge concerning plant selection and ecological traits of spittlebugs in different Mediterranean olive production areas is needed to design effective and precise control strategies against X. fastidiosa vectors in olive groves, such as ground cover modifications to reduce populations of spittlebug vectors.


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