Plant Disease Diagnostics
We diagnose plant diseases from the:
- Vegetable Sector
- Protected Crop Sector
- Nursery Stock Sector
- Cut Foliage Sector
- Soft Fruit Sector
- Cultivated mushroom industry
Xylella fastidiosa information
Disease overview
The Xylella bacterium causes wilting and death of plants. It enter the water-conducting xylem vessels where it multiplies and blocks the transportation of water. As spittle bugs feed on the fluid from the plant xylem they can become infected by the bacteria and pass it on to other plants. The 3 different supspecies of Xylella fastitiosa present in Europe are fastidiosa, pauca and multiplex. The bacteria are very specific in their hosts and may not effect closely related plant species or even some varieties.
The bacterium is a major concern for a few reasons; it is devastating most likely fatal to its host, it has a very wide host range 60 + plant species that show symptoms and more than 240 that can carry the disease without symptoms. Its vectors, spittle bugs, can be found all across Europe so it can easily be spread. To date there is no cure for the bacteria.
Host Update
The European Commission have published the latest update of host plants susceptible to the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa in the union territory (16/1/2017 https://ec.europa.eu/food/sites/food/files/plant/docs/ph_biosec_legis_emergency_db-host-plants_update08.pdf) .
There are now over 300 known host species susceptible to the bacterium, though not all of these species develop disease, and not all species are affected by all Xylella subspecies (pauca,multiplex,fastidiosa,sandyi ) .
The list of host plants includes many common trees and ornamentals relevant to the Irish horticulture industry including Acer, Aesculus, Brassica, carex, Cornus florida, Fuchsia magellanica, Ginkgo biloba, Hedera helix, Hemerocallis, Hydrangea paniculata, Liquidambar styraciflua, Liriodendron tulipifera, Magnolia grandiflora, Olea europaea, Platanus, Prunus, Quercus, Rosmarinus officinalis, Rubus, Salix, Veronica, Vinca. The full list of susceptible plants is available here: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32015D0789&from=EN .
History
X.fastidiosa was first regulated at EU level as a harmful organism with quarantine status in 1992 (Directive 2000/29/EC) but was not confirmed in Europe until 21st October 2013 when an outbreak of X.fastidiosa subsp. pauca was detected on olive trees in the Apulia region of Italy.
Reaction from the EU commission was swift with emergency measures published on 13th February 2014 which aimed to prevent the spread of X.fastidiosa within the union (Decision 2014/87/EU). This was quickly followed in July 2014 by the publication of more detailed measures to prevent disease introduction and spread within the EU.
Despite the introduction of these emergency measures, further outbreaks were reported in the neighbouring Italian province of Brindisi on the 9th of March 2015, Corsica on the 27th July 2015 (on Polygala myrtifolia) ,and the French mainland in the region of Provence-Alpes-Cote d’azur on 18th September 2015.
Detection and spread
Sap-sucking insects are important potential disease vectors once disease becomes established in an area. The primary risk comes from movement of infected material which means Irish plant importers will have to be vigilant in the sourcing and subsequent monitoring of imported host plant material.
Symptoms on plant material include dieback, stunting and leaf scorch, all of which are symptoms of many other plant pathogens and environmental factors such as frost damage. This makes a laboratory diagnosis necessary and involves identification of the disease at the molecular level by DNA extraction from infected material.
The ability of X.fastidiosa to ‘hide’ within asymptomatic plant material adds an extra layer of complication to its detection and control.
Suspected cases of this disease should be reported to the Plant Health Division of the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM). DAFM can be contacted as follows:
Horticulture and Plant Health Division,
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine,
Backweston Administration Building,
Backweston Campus,
Celbridge,
Co.Kildare
Phone: 01-5058885
Email: plantandpests@agriculture.gov.ie
Further information
EU territory Latest Developments of Xylella fastidiosa - updated every 15 minutes
European and Mediateranean Plant Protection Organisation Xylella fastidiosa
European Food Safety Authority - Xylella fastidiosa
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