Olives Crisis In Italy Due Bacteria 'Xylella Fastidiosa'

A drone view of Olive trees hit by 'Xylella Fastidiosa' in Lecce, in Puglia region, Italy on July 25, 2019. The region Puglia is the most hit region by the bacteria 'Xylella fastidiosa'. The pathogen causes Olive Quick Decline Syndrome (OQDS), a disease which causes withering and desiccation (extreme dryness) of terminal shoots, which then expand to the rest of the canopy, causing the tree to collapse and die. Italy declared a state of emergency over the crisis in 2015. The bacterium had never been seen in Europe until it was identified in 2013 in southern Puglia.