BIOVEXO

Summary

Olive cultivation in southern Europe is a long-standing tradition, one that has shaped the environment and the culture in many European countries. However, there is a growing threat to this part of history. Xylella fastidiosa is a pathogen that is increasingly causing diseases on olive trees and various other crops in the Mediterranean region. It wiped out a number of olive groves in Italy and Spain in only a few years, while infections have also been detected in France and Portugal. Unfortunately, the climate of the southern European Union is ideal for Xylella, and if the disease continues to spread, it could reduce yields of olive harvests by as much as 70 %.

Currently, there are no pesticides available on the market proven to be effective against Xylella, which is spread by xylem-feeding insects – notably the spittlebug – common in the Mediterranean climate. Farmers are often forced to destroy infected plants or use chemical insecticides, damaging incomes as well as organic production. BIOVEXO will demonstrate environmentally sustainable and economically viable plant protection solutions that can be deployed as a method of integrated pest management.

BIOVEXO’s approach involves developing biopesticides that target Xylella – X-biopesticides – and those that target the insects spreading the disease – V-biopesticides. The X-biopesticide candidates will be based on an onion extract (a food industry by-product) and antagonistic bacteria; the V-biopesticide candidates will be based on a plant extract (also a food industry by-product), a fungus and a microbial metabolite.