Xylella fastidiosa Does Not Occur in Lebanon |
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Authors: | Wassim Habib Franco Nigro Elvis Gerges Fouad Jreijiri Youssef Al Masri Milad El Riachy Elia Choueiri |
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Institution: | 1. Laboratory of Mycology, Department of Plant Protection, Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute, Jdeidet El Metn, Lebanon;2. Dipartimento di Scienze del Suolo, della Pianta e degli Alimenti, Università degli Studi di Bari –’Aldo Moro’, Bari, Italy;3. Department of Plant Protection, Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute, Tal Amara, Zahlé, Lebanon;4. Department of Plant Protection, Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture, Bir Hassan, Lebanon;5. Department of Olive and Olive Oil, Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute, Tal Amara, Lebanon |
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Abstract: | Xylella fastidiosa has been reported as responsible for a devastating disease on olive trees in Apulia region (south‐eastern Italy), characterized by a quick decline syndrome. In Lebanon, the pathogen was recently associated with leaf scorch symptoms on oleander, and reports on leaf scorch and dieback of olive trees branches by technicians and farmers have shown an increasing trend in the main agricultural areas. To assess the occurrence and distribution of the pathogen in Lebanon, samples of twigs from olive trees (82), olive seedlings (26), grapevine (30), oleander (32) and ornamentals imported from Italy (48) were analysed by isolation on four agarized media, serological techniques (ELISA and DTBIA) using Xylella fastidiosa‐specific antibodies and by PCR, using three specific sets of primers. Results unequivocally demonstrated that all the collected samples were free from the pathogen. As well, both detection protocols and attempts at isolating the pathogen on agarized media demonstrated that oleander samples gathered from American University campus in Beirut, where X. fastidiosa was previously reported, were not infected. Nevertheless, continuous monitoring and rigorous control measures of propagative materials are necessary to prevent the introduction of Xylella fastidiosa in Lebanon. |
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Keywords: |
ELISA
Leaf scorch oleander olive
PCR
Xylella fastidiosa
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