Capacity Building And Raising Awareness In Europe And In Third Countries To Cope With Xylella fastidiosa

Projektinformationen

CURE-XF

ID Finanzhilfevereinbarung: 734353

DOI

10.3030/734353

Projekt abgeschlossen

EK-Unterschriftsdatum 7 Juli 2017

Startdatum 1 September 2017

Enddatum 30 Juni 2023

Finanziert unter

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Gesamtkosten

€ 1 777 500,00

EU-Beitrag

€ 1 777 500,00

Koordiniert durch

CENTRO INTERNAZIONALE DI ALTISTUDI AGRONOMICI MEDITERRANEI
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - CURE-XF (Capacity Building And Raising Awareness In Europe And In Third Countries To Cope With Xylella fastidiosa)

Berichtszeitraum: 2019-09-01 bis 2023-06-30

Zusammenfassung vom Kontext und den Gesamtzielen des Projekts

The European Commission has published on October 11th, 2019 a list of 20 regulated quarantine pests qualifying as priority pests. The list included Xylella fastidiosa whose economic, environmental and social impact on EU's territory is the most severe. Member States will have to launch information campaigns to the public, do annual surveys, prepare contingency plans, simulation exercises, and action plans for the eradication of these pests.
The selection of pests is based on the assessment carried out by the Commission's Joint Research Centre and the European Food Safety Authority.
It has been shown that the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, the pest with the highest impact on agricultural crops, including fruit, could cause annual production losses of €5.5 billion, affecting 70% of the EU production value of older olive trees (over 30 years old) and 35% value of younger ones, in a scenario of the bacterium spreading across the entire EU. In addition to direct impacts on production, pests have significant indirect effects on a wide range of upstream or downstream economic sectors.

CURE-XF deals with different aspects of the current re-emergence of diseases caused by Xylella fastidiosa: from the detection and characterization of the bacterial strain to the control and management of the diseases. The consortium relies on multidisciplinary expertise on genetics and bioinformatics, pathogen-hosts interactions, diagnosis and monitoring, vector transmission and epidemiology, etc.), with the aim to raise awareness and strengthen actions for prevention. The project promotes collaborative efforts to support capacity building at different level in different Countries.

CURE-XF involves 18 partners from the following countries: Italy, France, Greece, Spain, Belgium, the UK, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon, Palestine and Iran

Arbeit, die ab Beginn des Projekts bis zum Ende des durch den Bericht erfassten Berichtszeitraums geleistet wurde, und die wichtigsten bis dahin erzielten Ergebnisse

As for the scientific progress, the main achieved activities during this period were:

WP2 X. fastidiosa-hosts interaction and epidemiology
Study of biology, genetics and mechanisms interaction of Xf with different plant hosts:
• Pathogenicity tests to define the host range of each invasive strain and to study pathogen/host interaction
• Genome comparisons an option to isolate determinants of host specificity/adaptation that could be used as predictors of each strain abilities. Transcriptome analyses another options to get clues concerning determinants involved in specific host colonization. Analyses useful to identify genetic determinants of host specificity.

Approaches for the identification of potential vectors in various Mediterranean and European environments

Demonstrative activities performed in different countries guiding and supporting surveys for the characterization of the xylem-feeder population present in different crops (with major efforts to be conducted in olive groves) in the different Med countries, in particular:
(i) establishment of field surveys;
(ii) identification of the most suitable period for surveys in relation to the vector biology and ecology;
(iii) characterization of the insects thorough morphological and molecular characters;
(iv) classical and novel approaches for assessment the presence of Xf in the candidate vector(s);
(v) standard requirements for performing transmission tests;
(vi) use of novel trap system for capturing candidate vectors,
(vii) quantitative approaches for the estimation of the abundance of the vector populations and studies of their population dynamics.

WP 3 Advanced diagnostic tools for the detection and characterization of X. fastidiosa and associated vectors
The main carried out activities were:
• Visual inspections and sampling to provide critical elements for performing appropriate visual check (with particular attention in the risky locations) and conduct sampling in the most effective way.
• Improvement of the capacity building of the laboratories involved in the Xf monitoring and surveillance program.

WP4: Innovative approaches for disease prevention, monitoring and control of Xylella Fastidiosa
The main carried out activities were:
• Early detection and monitoring of Xf outbreaks using remote sensing approach
• Development of colour sticky trap
• Development of patterns attractive to Philaenus spumarius
• Development of volatiles attractive to Philaenus spumarius
• Integration of volatiles and trap colour
• Trap development

WP 5 Pest risk analyses, phytosanitary legislations and contingency measures for a safe plant material trade:
The main carried out activities were:
• Rank risks and potential impact of Xf spreading to different countries in Europe and the MENA Region
• Use quantitative risk indicators:
• trade and transport networks
• host plants, vectors, climate
• crop management and phytosanitary effort
Database of risk indicators was set-up and risk indicators were combined into overall risk rankings for entry establishment and disease management with preliminary risk rankings, combining risk indicators

Dissemination and outreaching
The achieved work during this period was:
• establishment of a logo, a website, a Facebook page and a twitter account; as an accomplishment of MS12 Project portal online;
• preparation of a brochure of the project in: English, French, Arabic, Italian, Spanish, Greek, Turkish, German, Albanese and Persian;
• preparation of a communication strategy
• Special session seeing the participation of CURE-XF at the European conference on Xylella fastidiosa: finding answers to a global problem – Palma de Mallorca (Spain), 13-15 November 2017
• The CURE-XF Project gave its contribution to projects POnTE and XF-ACTORS by translating the report on the “European research on Xylella fastidiosa” in Arabic and French
Interviews with EURONEWS, AFP, and other international news agencies.

Fortschritte, die über den aktuellen Stand der Technik hinausgehen und voraussichtliche potenzielle Auswirkungen (einschließlich der bis dato erzielten sozioökonomischen Auswirkungen und weiter gefassten gesellschaftlichen Auswirkungen des Projekts)

CURE-XF is contributing in Europe and in Third Countries, in increasing different aspects of the current re-emergence of diseases caused by Xylella fastidiosa: from the detection and characterization of the bacterial strain to the control and management of the diseases. There is an increasing demand on this critical topic in different parts of the world. Therefore, CURE-XF is trying to cope with an evolving situation in the countries of the Consortium.

Expected results and impacts:
• Improving scientific capacities and networking among the European Countries as well as between the EU and Third Countries, in particular involving high-risky neighbouring countries;
• Strengthening the knowledge and the know-how on Xf in Third Countries having intense exchange of plant material with Europe;
• Raising awareness in relation to Xf impacts and risks upon its establishment.
• Maximize the exploitation of results of the research program by facilitating networking and technology transfer to stakeholders and endusers.

As a matter of fact, we can count more than 1000 persons trained from which 120 highly qualified.
Another relevant result that goes beyond expections, was the discovery of Xylella fastidiosa in Lebanon by CURE-XF. In addition, the project helped Lebanon in establishing its national contingency plan and the National Action Plan for the monitoring and response to Xylella fastidiosa.

During the interview by EURONEWS February 2019

Participants of the Summer School held in Bari September-October 2018

Lebanese Minister of Agriculture in the inauguration ceremony Regional training - Lebanon July 2019