Crop damage: Mallorca hosts 300 Xylella experts

Around 300 plant-disease researchers, technicians and specialists are expected in Palma, Mallorca, from 19 to 22 October, with the crop-damaging bacterium Xylella fastidiosa at the heart of the meeting. They will gather at the Hipotels Convention Center for the 22nd Congress of the Spanish Society of Phytopathology, the study of plant diseases.

Xylella fastidiosa has caused significant damage to key Balearic crops including almond trees, olive groves and vineyards. The Balearic Islands are among the territories most affected by the bacterium, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment.

A key session on Xylella

The bacterium will get a dedicated technical session at the Palma congress. Specialists will share new findings on Xylella, as well as monitoring and control strategies and research aimed at reducing its impact on Mediterranean crops.

The wider programme includes scientific talks, research presentations and technical sessions. It will also bring researchers, technicians and agricultural professionals together to exchange knowledge on the challenges facing Mediterranean farming.

Funding for the Palma congress

The Balearic Agricultural and Fisheries Guarantee Fund has approved a direct grant of €65,000 to the Spanish Society of Phytopathology to help organise the congress.

Diego Olmo, head of the Balearic Islands Official Plant Health Laboratory for Agri-food and Fisheries Research and Training, will co-chair the organising committee with Blanca Landa, president of the Spanish Society of Phytopathology. Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment minister Joan Simonet said hosting the congress recognised years of work by researchers on the islands.

Topics: Agriculture · Health · Palma

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com