According to Olimerca, the results of the Italian research project Demetra, dedicated to the design and experimentation of innovative technologies to counteract the advance of Xylella fastidiosa, are already in. Its managers have proven that high-tech nanocarriers can transport fertilizers and formulations capable of containing the bacteria.
The tests were carried out comparing infected untreated trees with infected trees treated with «naked» calcium carbonate nanoparticles and infected trees treated with nanoparticles with the product, as published by Teatro Natural. This means indicates that the first results have revealed a reduction in the bacterial load in the treated plants.
Likewise, this research has also verified the reduction of the bacterial load thanks to the use of organic fertilizers in an olive grove in Surbo affected by Xylella.
Parallel to the open field tests, experimental tests were carried out in the Department of Agricultural and Forest Sciences of the University of Tuscia, in the province of Viterbo, a Xylella-free zone, where Professor Giorgio Mariano Balestra coordinated the tests with “results encouraging ”.
Also, those responsible for this research warn that despite these results «we must be cautious because we need more experiments that we will carry out in the coming years.»