On 4th and 5th July, Angelantonio Minafra (IPSP CNR) joined a study visit of the BIOVEXO EU Project (Biocontrol of Xylella and its vectors in olive trees for integrated pest management; https://biovexo.eu) team composed by Drs. Pasquale Saldarelli (IPSP CNR, Italy), Stephane Compant (AIT Austrian Institute of Technology), Jose Manuel Garcia Madero (DOMCA, Spain) and Mikael Muegge (RTDS Associates, Austria) in Mallorca. The aim was the sampling and testing of almond trees affected by X. fastidiosa (the Spanish strain, mainly subsp. multiplex) with the two field-applicable molecular diagnostic methods (colorimetric LAMP and RPA-lateral flow strips) optimized for the quick and cheap detection  of Xf in olive trees. The experience was successful since the crude alkaline extracts obtained from the almond leaves samples (about 50) were either processed and analysed by cLAMP and RPA, or later on in laboratory by qPCR, with a high percentage of comparable positive and negative results among the different tests.

Below are some pictures from the on-site sampling of the almond trees.

Here are two short videos showing the test process that can take place in the lab or on-site.