Physiological Response of Olive Trees Under <i>Xylella fastidiosa</i> Infection and Thymol Therapy Monitored Through Advanced IoT Sensors

Since its first detection in 2013, <i>Xylella fastidiosa</i> subsp. <i>pauca</i> (<i>Xfp</i>) has caused a devastating Olive Quick Decline Syndrome (OQDS) outbreak in Southern Italy. Effective disease surveillance and treatment strategies are urgently needed to mi...

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Main Authors: Claudia Cagnarini, Paolo De Angelis, Dario Liberati, Riccardo Valentini, Valentina Falanga, Franco Valentini, Crescenza Dongiovanni, Mauro Carrieri, Maria Vincenza Chiriacò
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Plants
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/9/1380
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author Claudia Cagnarini
Paolo De Angelis
Dario Liberati
Riccardo Valentini
Valentina Falanga
Franco Valentini
Crescenza Dongiovanni
Mauro Carrieri
Maria Vincenza Chiriacò
author_facet Claudia Cagnarini
Paolo De Angelis
Dario Liberati
Riccardo Valentini
Valentina Falanga
Franco Valentini
Crescenza Dongiovanni
Mauro Carrieri
Maria Vincenza Chiriacò
author_sort Claudia Cagnarini
collection DOAJ
description Since its first detection in 2013, <i>Xylella fastidiosa</i> subsp. <i>pauca</i> (<i>Xfp</i>) has caused a devastating Olive Quick Decline Syndrome (OQDS) outbreak in Southern Italy. Effective disease surveillance and treatment strategies are urgently needed to mitigate its impact. This study investigates the short-term (1.5 years) effects of thymol-based treatments on infected olive trees of the susceptible cultivar Cellina di Nardò in two orchards in Salento, Apulia region. Twenty trees per trial received a 3% thymol solution either alone or encapsulated in a cellulose nanoparticle carrier. Over two years, sap flux density and canopy-transmitted solar radiation were monitored using TreeTalker sensors, and spectral greenness indices were calculated. <i>Xfp</i> cell concentrations in plant tissues were quantified via qPCR. Neither thymol treatment halted disease progression nor significantly reduced bacterial load, though the <i>Xfp</i> cell concentration reduction increased over time in the preventive trial. Symptomatic trees exhibited increased sap flux density, though the treatment mitigated this effect in the curative trial. Greenness indices remained lower in infected trees, but the response to symptom severity was delayed. These findings underscore the need for longer-term studies, investigation of synergistic effects with other phytocompounds, and integration of real-time sensor data into adaptive disease management protocols.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2223-7747
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spelling doaj-art-50957e514b6945eca3b33fdc23947aae2025-08-20T03:52:57ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-05-01149138010.3390/plants14091380Physiological Response of Olive Trees Under <i>Xylella fastidiosa</i> Infection and Thymol Therapy Monitored Through Advanced IoT SensorsClaudia Cagnarini0Paolo De Angelis1Dario Liberati2Riccardo Valentini3Valentina Falanga4Franco Valentini5Crescenza Dongiovanni6Mauro Carrieri7Maria Vincenza Chiriacò8Istituto per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA), 00144 Rome, RM, ItalyDipartimento per la Innovazione nei Sistemi Biologici, Agroalimentari e Forestali, Università degli Studi della Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, VT, ItalyDipartimento per la Innovazione nei Sistemi Biologici, Agroalimentari e Forestali, Università degli Studi della Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, VT, ItalyCMCC Foundation—Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change, 01100 Viterbo, VT, ItalyDipartimento di Bioscienze e Territorio, Università degli Studi del Molise, 86090 Pesche, IS, ItalyCIHEAM Bari, International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies, 70010 Valenzano, BA, ItalyCentro di Ricerca, Formazione e Sperimentazione in Agricoltura “Basile Caramia” (CRSFA), 70010 Locorotondo, BA, ItalyCentro di Ricerca, Formazione e Sperimentazione in Agricoltura “Basile Caramia” (CRSFA), 70010 Locorotondo, BA, ItalyCMCC Foundation—Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change, 01100 Viterbo, VT, ItalySince its first detection in 2013, <i>Xylella fastidiosa</i> subsp. <i>pauca</i> (<i>Xfp</i>) has caused a devastating Olive Quick Decline Syndrome (OQDS) outbreak in Southern Italy. Effective disease surveillance and treatment strategies are urgently needed to mitigate its impact. This study investigates the short-term (1.5 years) effects of thymol-based treatments on infected olive trees of the susceptible cultivar Cellina di Nardò in two orchards in Salento, Apulia region. Twenty trees per trial received a 3% thymol solution either alone or encapsulated in a cellulose nanoparticle carrier. Over two years, sap flux density and canopy-transmitted solar radiation were monitored using TreeTalker sensors, and spectral greenness indices were calculated. <i>Xfp</i> cell concentrations in plant tissues were quantified via qPCR. Neither thymol treatment halted disease progression nor significantly reduced bacterial load, though the <i>Xfp</i> cell concentration reduction increased over time in the preventive trial. Symptomatic trees exhibited increased sap flux density, though the treatment mitigated this effect in the curative trial. Greenness indices remained lower in infected trees, but the response to symptom severity was delayed. These findings underscore the need for longer-term studies, investigation of synergistic effects with other phytocompounds, and integration of real-time sensor data into adaptive disease management protocols.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/9/1380spectral transmittancesap velocityTreeTalkersproximity sensorsnanoparticlesbacterial plant diseases
spellingShingle Claudia Cagnarini
Paolo De Angelis
Dario Liberati
Riccardo Valentini
Valentina Falanga
Franco Valentini
Crescenza Dongiovanni
Mauro Carrieri
Maria Vincenza Chiriacò
Physiological Response of Olive Trees Under <i>Xylella fastidiosa</i> Infection and Thymol Therapy Monitored Through Advanced IoT Sensors
Plants
spectral transmittance
sap velocity
TreeTalkers
proximity sensors
nanoparticles
bacterial plant diseases
title Physiological Response of Olive Trees Under <i>Xylella fastidiosa</i> Infection and Thymol Therapy Monitored Through Advanced IoT Sensors
title_full Physiological Response of Olive Trees Under <i>Xylella fastidiosa</i> Infection and Thymol Therapy Monitored Through Advanced IoT Sensors
title_fullStr Physiological Response of Olive Trees Under <i>Xylella fastidiosa</i> Infection and Thymol Therapy Monitored Through Advanced IoT Sensors
title_full_unstemmed Physiological Response of Olive Trees Under <i>Xylella fastidiosa</i> Infection and Thymol Therapy Monitored Through Advanced IoT Sensors
title_short Physiological Response of Olive Trees Under <i>Xylella fastidiosa</i> Infection and Thymol Therapy Monitored Through Advanced IoT Sensors
title_sort physiological response of olive trees under i xylella fastidiosa i infection and thymol therapy monitored through advanced iot sensors
topic spectral transmittance
sap velocity
TreeTalkers
proximity sensors
nanoparticles
bacterial plant diseases
url https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/9/1380
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