News published: 21 November 2022

The European Horizon 2020 project Beyond Xylella (BeXyl) looking at developing integrated management strategies for mitigating Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) impacts in Europe has recently been launched.

The bacterium Xylella fastidiosa is native to the Americas where it causes disease in many important crops including citrus, coffee and grapevine. Until recently Xylella was absent from Europe but in 2013 the bacterium was identified as the cause of death of olive trees in southern Italy. There are now major outbreaks on ornamental plants in southern France (including Corsica), the Balearic Islands (Ibiza, Mallorca and Menorca) and southern Spain and most recently in Portugal, in Lisbon and the Algarve.

Xylella infects a wide range of plants including many popular species grown in gardens, such as cherry, hebe, lavender and rosemary. The bacterium is transmitted between plants via insects which feed on plant sap.

The BeXyl project is based on a multi-actor approach that aims at:

• providing further understanding on the drivers of the spread & establishment of Xf in Europe (including climate change).
• developing effective surveillance methods and strategies for early detection.
• developing economically and environmentally friendly sound solutions and IPM.
• analysing social, economic and ecological impact of the spread and establishment of Xf.

As part of the project Consortium, BGCI through the International Plant Sentinel Network (IPSN), will be contributing by:

• engaging with botanic gardens/arboreta in the regions of interest to collect data on Xf presence in selected host plant species.
• helping to design/coordinate workshops/webinars to provide further information about Xf.
• helping in the dissemination/communication of the project outcomes.

As indicated by one of our partners in the project, the support that the IPSN will provide through the network’s botanic gardens/arboreta is likely to prove invaluable in the understanding and gathering of further knowledge on the spread and pathogenicity of Xf, demonstrating once again the importance of botanic gardens/arboreta as sources of information and facilities in the fight against pest/diseases.

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