Media library

Explanatory video on the vineyard plantation authorization system

Informational video about the almond wasp (Eurytoma amigdali)

#PlantHealth4Life is a multi-year, multinational campaign developed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) at the request of the European Commission, launched in 2023. In 2024, 21 Member States, including Spain, and one candidate country will participate.

Golden flavescence, in English “flavescence dorée of grapevine”, is a very serious and destructive disease that affects the vine. It is a disease of bacterial origin, being produced by the phytoplasma Candidatus Phytoplasma vitis, which needs to be transmitted by an almost specific vector called the vine cicada (Scaphoideus titanus Ball)

Recommendations for the release of Torymus sinensis, a biological control organism for the chestnut wasp

Who is Xilella, the fearsome plant killer?

The almond wasp (Eurytoma amigdali E) is a hymenopteran recently discovered in almond orchards in the Valencian Community. The adults are black and emerge in spring from the fruit they parasitized the previous season.

Given the damage caused by thrips observed since May on leaves and fruit in various citrus, persimmon and pomegranate crops and the confirmation of the presence of Scirtothrips aurantii Faure in certain areas, the following recommendations have been considered appropriate:

During the 2019 campaign, control failures were detected in some plots in the Ribera Alta region (Alzira, Benimuslem, Guadassuar, and Massalavés). Systematic surveys carried out in 2020 revealed that the resistance of the fungus Plurivorosphaerella nawae to the QoI group of fungicides (strobilurins) was present in most persimmon-producing areas in the province of Valencia.

Given the damage caused by thrips observed since May on leaves and fruit in various citrus, persimmon and pomegranate crops and the confirmation of the presence of Scirtothrips aurantii Faure in certain areas, the following recommendations have been considered appropriate:

Pollinating insects are vitally important for the proper functioning of crops. Pollination is essential to ensuring the quantity and quality of crops and food production, directly linking wild ecosystems with agricultural production systems.

On February 12, 2019, a "Seminar on Xylella fastidiosa" was held in the Assembly Hall of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food. This seminar is part of the measures adopted by the Ministry to disseminate information and raise awareness about the fight against and control of Xylella fastidiosa.

Powdery mildew is a disease caused by an ectoparasitic fungus (Erysiphe necator) that overwinters in buds as mycelium, as well as in the shoots, leaves, and bark of vines, in these cases in the form of perithecae or cleistothecae. The fungus begins to develop at temperatures above 5°C and stops when temperatures exceed 35°C.

Each report provides information regarding the 4 fungal diseases that affect vineyards: downy mildew, powdery mildew, botrytis and blackrot.

Xylella fastidiosa (Wells et al.) is a quarantine phytopathogenic bacterium that has a very wide range of host plants (more than 300 plant species), and can cause serious damage to the most important crops of the Balearic Islands, such as almond, vine, olive, citrus or fig trees, and to numerous species of ornamental plants (rosemary, lavender, polygala and acacia, among others).

Xylella fastidiosa is a bacterium that causes rapid and widespread decline in plants. In the most severe cases, the leaves and branches may dry up and, ultimately, the entire plant may die. In many host species, the presence of the bacteria does not produce any symptoms, making detection extremely difficult. X.

Xylella fastidiosa is a bacterium that lives in the xylem of plants, preventing the normal flow of water and nutrients. It causes diseases in various economically important crops, depending on the subspecies and genetic group of the bacteria. The most characteristic symptoms are the scorched appearance of leaves and shoots.

Recommendations for treatments against red palm weevil and other palm borer pests

Paysandisia archon, a lepidopteran of the Castniidae family, is native to South America, whose larvae feed on palm trees. The first detection in Europe was in France and Italy in 1998-99. In Spain, it was first detected in Catalonia in May 2002, and in the Valencian Community in June of that same year.

Scirtothrips aurantii is a pest that affects various crops such as pomegranates, persimmons, citrus fruits, and table grapes. This pest was first detected in Spain in 2020, in the province of Huelva.