A bacterium is destroying crops in Italy and France, where they have been forced to proceed to the burning of the affected specimens, because until now an effective remedy against the disease is unknown. They call her the olive tree ebola and it is of American origin, very contagious. It is not ruled out that it will arrive in Spain in the coming years unless it is prevented.
Keep reading to know more.
La Xylella fastidiosa, a surname that fits you like a glove if I may say so, is transmitted through vector insects, that is, from those insects that carry bacteria in their body, which invade the xylem - woody vessels that transport fluids from one part to another- of the plant and reproduces inside it, obstructing the flow of the raw sap -which is a mixture of water with mineral salts, which must reach the leaves to feed them-. Symptoms are of water stress, decay, wilting y drying the leaves, and finally the death of the specimen.
Andalusia was the first to alert the rest of the country about the harmful effects of this problem, as it is a territory where we can find million hectares of olive trees. However, in the Balearic Islands for example, routine pest control measures are maintained.
In addition to olive trees, other species such as almond trees, Citrus, oleanders o Oak trees. It is very important that, with fewer symptoms of illness, the tree is cut down and it is burned, since it is the only way to prevent the other specimens from being infected.
The arrival of the Xylella fastidiosa to our country it would be a hard blow for the olive sector, since only on the island of Mallorca (Balearic archipelago) 327.932 liters of oil are produced per year. In countries like France, the bacteria arrived through the importation of infected trees, which is why both farmers and agronomists hope that the necessary measures will be taken so that the Ebola of the olive tree does not reach the Iberian Peninsula or the islands.