“Current situation and perspectives of the diseases caused by Xylella fastidiosa in the Mediterranean basin”: a symposium in Valencia
On 28 September 2017, the Regional Government of Comunitat Valenciana (Conselleria d’Agricultura, Medi Ambient, Canvi Climàtic i Desenvolupament Rural) and the Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA) will organize a conference on Xylella fastidiosa in Valencia, Spain, under the title “Current situation and perspectives of the diseases caused by Xylella fastidiosa in the Mediterranean Basin”.
After the detection of X. fastidiosa affecting almonds in Alicante Province, there is an urgent need to provide the most updated and accurate scientific information to the agricultural sector and policymakers in the region. Dr Blanca Landa (IAS-CSIC) will describe the main traits of the diseases caused by X. fastidiosa worldwide. Dr Ester Marco (IVIA) will focus on the detection methods and the ongoing activities of the National Reference Laboratory. Dr Alberto Fereres (ICA-CSIC) will deal with the insect vectors of X. fastidiosa and the strategies for their control. Dr Juan A. Navas (IAS-CSIC) will approach the climatic factors leading to the establishment of Xylella diseases in the Mediterranean basin and Dr Donato Boscia will describe the scenario of X. fastidiosa in southern Italy. Prof A. H. Purcell (UC Berkeley) will participate through video conference with a talk entitled “Past and current experience with Xylella diseases: Do they apply to new locations?”. The main activities in POnTE and XF-ACTORS H2020 projects related to X. fastidiosa will be summarized by Dr Antonio Vicent (IVIA).
From the regulatory side, Dr Jose M. Cobos, a head official at the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, the National Plant Protection Organization in Spain, will define the legal framework that applies to X. fastidiosa, both at the European and Spanish level. The head officials of the plant health authorities in the Balearic Islands and the Valencia region, Andreu Juan and Vicente Dalmau, will give an update on the activities against the X. fastidiosa outbreaks in their respective regions.
The conference will be attended by representative stakeholders and phytosanitary officials, and it will be entirely retransmitted by live streaming at www.canal.gva.es to everybody who may be interested.
The complete program of the event is available at this link.
