Olive quick decline syndrome | |
---|---|
Common names | OQDS |
Causal agents | Xylella fastidiosa |
Hosts | Olive trees |
Vectors | Meadow froghopper |
Distribution | Southern Italy |
Symptoms | Dieback of the leaves, twigs and branches |
Olive quick decline syndrome (OQDS) (in Italian: Complesso del Disseccamento Rapido dell'Olivo, CDRO or CoDiRo) is a wasting disease of olive trees which causes dieback of the leaves, twigs and branches so that the trees no longer produce crops of olives. The main cause is a strain of the bacterium, Xylella fastidiosa, which is spread by plant-sucking insects such as the meadow froghopper. The bacteria restrict the flow of sap within the tree and so choke its extremities.[1]