• The document collects relevant information to help control the effect of Xylella fastidiosa on agricultural crops.
• Life Resilience aims to prevent Xylella fastidiosa through the application of sustainable practices in agriculture and also seeks to develop new olive varieties that are resistant to bacteria and other pathogens, minimizing the losses that an infected plantation entails so far.
Life Resilience, the project co-financed by the Life program of the European Union, whose main objective is the prevention of Xylella fastidiosa in high-density farms of olive groves and almond trees. In order to achieve this objective, a document compiling a series of sustainable agricultural practices that can be used to effectively reduce the incidence of the bacteria in intensive olive and almond systems has been made available to farmers.
One of the objectives of the project is to develop olive varieties that are as tolerant as possible to Xylella fastidiosa, as well as other pathogens, minimizing the losses that an infected plantation entails so far. In addition, it is also pursued the implementation of sustainable practices that help prevent the spread of the bacteria and increase the resilience of the crop against pests and pathogens.
This material is available in four languages (Spanish, English, Italian and Portuguese) and it is structured at different points of action where they work to mitigate the effect of the bacteria on sensitive and economically important agricultural crops worldwide.
The agricultural practices mentioned range from insect vectors and host plants of Xylella, to microorganisms that protect the plant from possible diseases, including also the control of vectors through the auxiliary fauna established on farms.
Considering the threat of the bacteria, “it is of great importance that farmers are aware of the research that is being carried out as well as this type of publications in order to effectively protect their crops,” as explained Nuno Miguel Vitorino, agronomist engineer at Nutriprado, partner involved in the Life Resilience project, which has participated in the development of this reference document.