Century-old herbarium specimen provides insights into Pierce’s disease of grapevines emergence in the Americas

by staff | Jan 6, 2025 | Publications

Fossils and other preserved specimens are integral for informing timing and evolutionary history in every biological system. By isolating a plant pathogen genome from herbarium-preserved diseased grapevine material from 1906 (Herb_1906), we were able to answer...

A New Vector of Xylella fastidiosa: The Role of Mesoptyelus impictifrons as a Vector in Israel

by staff | Dec 3, 2024 | Publications

In recent years, the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa has been spreading in almond orchards (causing almond leaf scorch) and in grapevines (causing Pierce’s disease) in northern Israel. Sucking insects specialized for xylem sap-feeding transmit this plant...

Multiple genotypes of a quarantine plant pathogen detected in New Zealand indigenous plants located in a botanical garden overseas

by staff | Oct 27, 2024 | Publications

Xylella fastidiosa is a xylem-limited bacterial plant pathogen transmitted by insect vectors. It infects a wide range of plant species and causes devastating diseases. Botanical gardens are global repositories of plant diversity exposed to local biotic and abiotic...

Linking intercontinental biogeographic events to decipher how European vineyards escaped Pierce’s disease

by staff | Oct 2, 2024 | Publications

Global change is believed to be a major driver of the emergence of invasive pathogens. Yet, there are few documented examples that illustrate the processes that hinder or trigger their geographic spread. Here, we present phylogenetic, epidemiological and historical...

European Xylella fastidiosa strains can cause symptoms in blueberry

by staff | Aug 17, 2024 | Publications

Strains of the bacterial pathogen Xylella fastidiosa subspecies multiplex (Xfm) and pauca (Xfp) isolated from symptomatic almond and olive plants in Spain and Italy were used in this study. Due to the risk of host jump and considering the importance of southern...