Community Analysis of Culturable Sapwood Endophytes from Apulian Olive Varieties with Different Susceptibility to Xylella fastidiosa
Endophytes are symptomless fungal and/or bacterial microorganisms found in almost all living plant species. The symbiotic association with their host plants by colonizing the internal tissues has endowed them as a valuable tool to suppress diseases, stimulate growth, and promote stress resistance. In this context, the study of culturable endophytes residing the sapwood of Apulian olives might be a promising control strategy for xylem colonizing pathogens as Xylella fastidiosa. To date, olive sapwood cultivable endophytes are still under exploration; therefore, this work pursues a study of cultivable endophytes occurrence variation in the sapwood of different olive varieties under the effect…
Antagonism and Antimicrobial Capacity of Epiphytic and Endophytic Bacteria against the Phytopathogen Xylella fastidiosa
Olive quick decline syndrome (OQDS), which is caused by Xylella fastidiosa, poses a severe threat to the agriculture of Mediterranean countries and causes severe damage to the olive trees in Italy. Since no effective control measures are currently available, the objective of this study was the screening of antagonistic bacteria that are potentially deployable as biocontrol agents against X. fastidiosa. Therefore, two approaches were used, i.e., the evaluation of the antagonistic activity of (i) endophytic bacteria isolated from two different cultivars of olive trees (Leccino and Ogliarola salentina) and (ii) epiphytic bacteria isolated from the phyllospheres of different host plant species …