Olive

Neofabraea Leaf Spot

Neofabraea spp.

Fungus

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In a Nutshell

  • Small circular necrotic leaf lesions.
  • Reddish-brown lesions on shoots and twigs and occasionally cankers on branches.
  • Dark fruit spots surrounded by a yellow halo.

Can also be found in

1 Crops
Olive

Olive

Symptoms

Symptoms occur after harvest in mechanically harvested groves. The symptoms on the leaves are particularly visible during late winter and early spring. Leaf lesions are about 3 to 4 mm in diameter and slightly depressed. They initially occur as small round chlorotic (yellow) lesions. These lesions progress to necrosis during the spring and early summer. Cankers from 0.5 to 3 cm in length are observed in wounded branches, causing twig death. Heavy infestation leads to defoliation and the subsequent season's production can be affected. Fruit spots are characterized by dark, slightly depressed spots surrounded by a chlorotic halo.

Recommendations

Organic Control

To this day, no effective biological control treatments are available.

Chemical Control

This particular issue has been observed in the latest years. Chemical control studies are currently evolving. Protective sprays after harvest may be a solution to the issue. The role of pruning and mechanical harvesting tools in pathogen dispersal should be studied. Seek updated information for your region from your local agronomist.

What caused it?

Both Neofabraea and Phlyctema species have been associated with the disease. Symptoms in olive orchards have dramatically increased in recent years, wherever the olive industry entered a period of expansion and intensification of the crop. Mechanization of pruning and harvesting increases the number of wounds in leaves, shoots and branches. It takes a wound for infection to occur.

Preventive Measures

  • Not all cultivars are susceptible.
  • Blanqueta has been characterized as one of the most susceptible cultivars.
  • Arbequina and Picual showed intermediate susceptibility without significant differences between them.
  • Prevention measures are hard to be defined as the mechanization of production is the issue causing this disease.

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