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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - XF-ACTORS (Xylella Fastidiosa Active Containment Through a multidisciplinary-Oriented Research Strategy)

Teaser

Summary

XF-ACTORS is the first international research project in Europe entirely devoted to develop a multidisciplinary research program on the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa. The consortium involves 29 Partners and Research Institutions, including 4 non-European research centers from USA, Brazil, Costa Rica and Taiwan, countries where the pathogen is known to be present since a long time.
The project aims to address the urgent need to improve prevention strategies, early detection and control of Xylella fastidiosa in Europe. The overall objective is to develop a global strategy for the integrated management of serious diseases associated with Xylella fastidiosa, with the intention of preventing its further spread or introduction in Xf-free areas, and to mitigate the economic, environmental and social impacts.
The knowledge generated by XF-ACTORS research aims to improve capacity of farmers to manage the disease and prevent further economic losses in crops; enhance capacity and competence of plant health authorities to strengthen the EU plant health regime; generate positive impact towards the improvement of EU prevention measures (legislative provisions, technical procedures, means of disease control, etc.).
The stakeholdersâ€™ interests are an important driver of XF-ACTORS. Therefore, a Stakeholder Board has been settled, with the participation of representatives of international and national Plant Protection and quarantine services, policy makers at the EU level, growers, producers and nurserymen organizations and extension services.

Work performed

Activities have been started and developed in line with the proposed workplan by integrating multidisciplinary and innovative approaches. The results so far achieved can be refered to:
- Full genomes (draft and/or complete genomes) have been obtained for several EU isolates, disclosing their genetic relatedness and the putative pathway(s) and event(s) of introduction in EU.
- Pathogenicity of selected EU strains has been demonstrated on the main affected hosts in EU: Kochâ€™s postulates have been fulfilled on olives, oleander and myrtle-leaf milkwort plants (either in Italy or France).
- Networking and efforts for the harmonization of the diagnostic tests along with the results of several EU interlaboratory validations allowed to define a common panel of recommended methods for reliable and sensitive detection of the bacterium in different hosts.
- Remote sensing approaches were successfully implemented for the early identification of Xylella- infected trees, at the pre-visual stage when the symptoms are not yet evident, a critical requirement for effective and timely surveillance programs.
- Research on EU candidate vectors, confirmed the role of Philaenus italosignus and Neophilaenus campestris in the transmission of the bacterial strains causing the epidemics in Apulia (southern Italy).
- Identification of traits of resistance to Xylella in olives opens for new promising research topics and breeding programs for long-term disease management strategies.
- Field-experiments for testing formulations to control the bacterium in the host plants and to control the vector populations in olive groves, while providing some promising indications, confirmed the relevant challenges for developing effective treatments for the therapy of infected plants.
- Up to date molecular research approaches are also being explored towards the development of sustainable biocontrol strategies to restrain bacterial multiplication and virulence in the host plants.
- Different complementary methodologies are in place to feed previsional models and establish more effective mechanisms and tools for risk assessment and prevention.
- Effective collaborations have been established with farmers and nurserymen for the implementation of the project workplan.
- A crosstalk (dialogue) has been established with relevant stakeholders and Authorities (Policy makers, Phytosanitary Agencies) to support the transfer of knowledge and exchange of views for the implementation of integrated control strategies.

Final results

The work carried out during the first Reporting Period contributed to:
- Extend the knowledge on (i) the bacterial strains causing infections in different EU Countries unraveling the high genetic variability occurring in the EU outbreaks and the need for biological studies to disclose the potential threat posed to the EU and Mediterranean flora and crops; (ii) the xylem-feeders characterizing different EU agro-ecosystems, identifying the target species for the development of vector control sustainable approaches; (iii) the host response to infections, particularly to further characterize the differential response of olive cultivars and search of crop species immune to the infections of EU strains; (iv) profiling the microbiome of olives under different conditions (Xf-infected vs non-infected).
- Explore the mechanisms of feeding and transmission in spittlebugs (the predominant vector in Europe) and provide preliminary parameters for rearing the insects under artificial conditions.
- Implement research on remote sensing approaches and extend the use of specific diagnostic tools.
- Strengthen networking and cooperations among EU laboratories involved in Plant Health and pathogen diagnosis.
- Explored the use of different tools for the control of the bacterium in the plant (tests on antimicrobial peptides, analogues of the DSFs, microbiome characterization and isolation of endophites) and for reducing the vector populations.