This site is dedicated to the study of Xylella fastidiosa, a plant-pathogenic bacterium. It causes scorch diseases in a wide range of economically important crops (e.g. Pierce’s disease in grape, phony peach disease, and almond leaf scorch), and in an increasing number of ornamental trees and shrubs.

photo courtesy of www.citrolima.com.br

To combat the threat of Xylella to both agricultural and non-agricultural plants, our objectives are:

• MONITORING – to establish a nationwide monitoring program to rapidly identify new outbreaks of scorch disease. To achieve this we need you to send us samples from suspected outbreaks.
• OUTREACH – to provide education on managing Xylella diseases;
• HOST RANGE – to identify more completely the plant-host range of the Xylella subspecies and of the important genetic sub-types within them;
• GENETIC RECOMBINATION – to document the occurrence and host range of “recombinant” types of Xylella that carry genetic material from more than one subspecies;
• BIOGEOGRAPHY - investigate the biogeography of Xylella outside of the US to help prevent new forms being introduced into the US;
• GENETIC ADAPTATION – to understand of the link between the genetic differences among Xylella types that adapt them to the different plant species that they infect.

Support: This project is supported by a USDA-CSREES National Research Initiatives program grant.

© 2007 - 2012 University of California Riverside 900 University Ave.  •   Riverside, CA 92521