Not even 48 hours after the news of a fifth cultivar potentially resistant to Xylella, A boulder falls on the Puglia region. Coldiretti has in fact announced that the monitoring and sampling ordered by theRegional Phytosanitary Observatory has identified well 106 infected plants in Cagnano Varano, in the Gargano National Park, in the province of Foggia., which are added to the Initial 47 affected by the killer bacterium.
The scenario has become more critical precisely as a result of theEnhanced surveillance activity in the 400-meter area around the infected zone, aimed at verifying the presence of further infected plants and consequently the extension of the area, while the buffer zone is at least 2,5 km wide in the delimited areas where eradication measures apply, with the Phytosanitary Observatory of the Puglia Region and is collecting and analyzing over 2000 plant samples.
The infected olive trees and all other specified plants within 50 meters will be removed either by ARIF teams or voluntarily by the owners. Monumental olive trees located within 50 meters of the infected trees, which have been found to be free from disease by laboratory tests, must be reported to the Environmental Authorizations Section for possible recognition by the Monumental Trees Technical Commission.
“Mechanical and phytosanitary prevention practices, monitoring of plants that are not only visual and of the spittlebug vector insect, sampling and removal of infected olive trees, new tools for the early identification of new outbreaks, considering that there is still no cure for the bacterial disease, are - Says Coldiretti Puglia - The only solution to slow the spread of the infection. Its effectiveness and consistency are a guarantee for the uninhibited areas of Puglia and neighboring regions and should not be questioned in any way.
“Unfortunately the disaster continues - comments Giuseppe L'Abbate, former Undersecretary of Agriculture -. A new outbreak that confirms how serious and ongoing the emergency still is, despite years of unheeded warnings, accumulated delays, and charlatans still braying."
They turn out nearly 21 million trees contaminated Monitoring, sampling, laboratory analysis, and ongoing research are crucial to combating the spread of Xylella, which has reached the province of Foggia. These efforts are aimed at identifying outbreaks in the very early stages of infection on susceptible plants and subsequently removing them according to the law. Controlling the presence of potential contaminated vectors is also the only solution to slowing the spread of the infection. Effective and systematic interventions are essential for the disease-free areas of Puglia and neighboring regions, including through the use of innovative remote monitoring technologies.
