The research centers IVIA, IAS-CSIC, and UdG are conducting pathogenicity assays of Xylella fastidiosa in forest plants

As part of the BioStop-Xf project, the Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research (IVIA), the Institute for Sustainable Agriculture of the Spanish National Research Council (IAS-CSIC), and the University of Girona (UdG) began pathogenicity tests on Xylella fastidiosa in forest plants last May, focusing on cork oak, holm oak, ash, arbutus, and juniper trees among other. In Image 1, the entire inoculation process is illustrated.

All the inoculated plants were kept in the biosafety greenhouses of the respective research centers, as shown in images 2 (IVIA), 3 (IAS-CSIC), and 4 (UdG). The purpose of this pathogenicity test is to monitor symptoms compatible with the presence of Xylella fastidiosa. Additionally, these plants are periodically analyzed using molecular biology techniques, specifically qPCR, to detect the bacteria.