Sunday 22 July 2018

Oiling the Olives?


Considerable debate is brewing around Puglia in Italy where many long-established olive trees are threatened with destruction because they are within a specified distance of a tree infected with a destructive bacterium (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/22/italy-farmers-olive-trees-xylella-blight-cow-dung-puglia). The argument seems to revolve around one group advocating containment by destruction to prevent further spread and another group suggesting that most olive trees harbour xylella blight (which is only expressed when the tree is 'stressed') and the condition can be managed by the liberal application of copper sulphate and cow dung. It will be interesting to see how this plays out as their are academics supporting both sides. 

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