Interview Pedro Valverde. UCO researcher, partner of the LIFE Resilience project
What has been the role of the UCO in the Life Resilience project?
The University of Cordoba is the leading partner in action C1, in which a line has been initiated within the University of Cordoba’s Olive Breeding Programme in collaboration with the company BALAM Agriculture.
What lines has the University worked on in the project?
The work of the UCO has focused on the generation of 1000 new olive tree genotypes using varieties resistant to the Xylella fastidiosa bacterium as parents and others that provide interesting agronomic characteristics.
These genotypes were generated in two phases of crosses, some in 2017 and others in 2018, which were planted in the field in 2018 and 2019. Since planting, agronomic traits have been evaluated and in the winter of 2021, the 18 genotypes that stood out for their best agronomic traits were selected and propagated.
These 18 pre-selected and propagated genotypes are being subjected to forced growth in the greenhouses of the UCO and in the coming weeks they will be planted, already with repetitions, in three experimental farms. One plantation, located in Scorrano, Puglia, Italy, is intended to evaluate not only the agronomic characteristics but also the resistance to the bacterium under field conditions. A second experimental plot, located on the farm of the SALOV Group project partner, and a third on the El Valenciano experimental farm in Carmona, Seville. In addition to these three experimental plantations, plants will also be sent in the first week of May for inoculation and evaluation of resistance to Xylella fastidiosa under controlled conditions.
With these results, the aim is to be able to register a new variety of olive tree resistant to the bacterium and with good agronomic characteristics.
How has the UCO collaborated with the other project partners?
The closest collaboration has been with the leading company of the Balam Agriculture Project, since the development of the new varieties is done in collaboration between both entities, but we have also collaborated with both the CNR and the SALOV Group, which has made its experimental farm available to us, where the selected genotypes will be planted.
Furthermore, thanks to the joint meetings between all the partners, information has been exchanged that is useful for the development of both this project and future collaborations with the partners of Greenfield Technologies, Ideagro, Nutriprado, SACH, ASAJA and Agrifood Comunicación, as well as establishing close collaborations with farmers both in Spain and Italy.
Prevention is key to avoid the proliferation of the bacterium. In economic terms, what are the benefits of being ahead of the spread of the disease?
For disease control, it is recommended to carry out a series of «integrated control» measures which, in the case of Xylella fastidiosa, are aimed at reducing or eliminating, if possible, the population of the bacterium. For this purpose, measures are taken to reduce vector populations directly or indirectly through the control of host pests such as weeds. Within these integrated control measures, the use of resistant varieties is the most effective, economical and environmentally friendly measure.
All the knowledge that has been generated in recent years since it was detected for the first time in 2013 serves to mitigate, as far as possible, the possible effect of the entry of the pathogen into Spain.
Currently in Spain we have the presence of the pathogen both in the Valencian Community and in the Balearic Islands, although fortunately it is not the subspecies and specifically the recombinant CoDiRo, which caused the epidemic in Italy.