CAMPO CUTTINGS BY LORRAINE CAVANAGH The Olive Killer Has Arrived.
T
his month I have serious news – the olive killer, xylella, has reached Spanish ground, specifically the Balearics and it can´t be long before it reaches the mainland. Sadly another 'plague' that could destroy a whole way of life, a huge industry and the wonderful look of our countryside. Xylella is a bacteria; a silent but serial killer. And it doesn´t only affect olives, though this is the most impacted host plant to date. It is known to attack some 300 species of trees and shrubs including sweet orange, almonds, cherry, vine and many ornamentals such as oleander, polygala, Spanish broom, periwinkle and mimosa and this diversity is, of course, where the real problem lies.
84 The Grapevine
Across the stony heel of Italy, an area called Puglia has been decimated by the killer since 2013 when it was first detected. In this densely wooded area of some 10 million olive trees, it is reckoned that up to one million of them have been cut down, many of them venerable trees. The Italians resisted the felling order from Brussels which was issued in an attempt to stop the spread of the disease; pictures of farmers weeping whilst their ancient olive groves, their heritage and livelihood, were bulldozed and burnt were heart-wrenching. The war between growers and politicians raged as the fires burned. It now appears that such drastic measures may have been a little heavy handed as newest research seems to indicate that whilst some varieties of olive are more vulnerable, some are
immune and that it does not easily infect other species. However, all this research is in its early stages and the true picture is, largely, still to come. In Spain, lack of funding has prevented much investigation so it is not yet known whether our local varieties of olives are particularly vulnerable. The bacteria was first noted in Mallorca in Porto Cristo in October 2016 and is now in Ibiza too. Both affected areas have just been put under quarantine and exportation of plants or plant material from the islands is now totally prohibited. (Please take note if you are travelling – no sneaky cuttings in suitcases because you just never know!) On Mallorca there are 71 infected trees and on Ibiza 21. To date all are olives, cherries and almonds but ornamentals could also be infected and not yet showing signs. Some 2000 plants in the
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