The news of Xylella fastidiosa, also known as the fire bacterium, being detected on grapevines in the country for the first time has caused quite a stir. Out of a total of 140 samples, three tested positive.
In the past, the bacterium has caused extensive damage to the natural environment, for instance in Southern Europe, but it has never appeared in this region before, as Monique Faber, a department head at the Administration of Technical Agricultural Services (ASTA), explained.
At this stage, Faber said, there was still no explanation as to how the bacterium had entered the country.
That was one of the questions ASTA intended to investigate by analysing the genetic material of the bacteria found here.
This will allow ASTA to see whether an identical strain existed elsewhere in Europe, which might make it possible to trace its path. That, she added, would be a rather difficult task.
The current suspicion was that local cicadas, insects found in this area, might have picked up the bacterium from a Mediterranean plant, such as a small olive tree or similar, that people might have in their home gardens and which was not free of the pathogen.
One of the affected vineyards is located along the Sûre river, opposite Miesenech. According to Faber, the entire plot will have to be uprooted.
The bacterium, she pointed out, had a vast range of host plants, meaning it was not very picky about its “menu”.
That included a wide variety of other plants, such as blackberries, elder trees or maple trees.
Staff from ASTA, the Nature and Forestry Agency and the National Roads Administration inspected the situation on the ground on Wednesday.
Immediate action is now needed. Initial quotes have already been sought from specialist companies.
The goal is to prevent cicadas, which remain active in the current temperatures, from spreading the disease to other vineyards or orchards, Agriculture Minister Martine Hansen explained.
In Southern Italy, around 21 million olive trees had been destroyed as a result of the bacterium, Hansen explained.
On that basis, EU regulations required immediate intervention whenever a positive test result came back.
That meant that everything within a 50-metre radius of the infected plant now testing positive had to be removed.
In addition, more rigorous monitoring had to be put in place within a 2.5-kilometre radius.
And then, Hansen said, hopefully "fingers crossed", that nothing else is discovered there.
The affected areas are also currently being treated with insecticides to target the cicadas. There is, however, according to Hansen, no remedy for the bacterium itself.
In this case, Hansen said, the plant material had to be burned. This was not a case of disregarding regulations, but rather, to contain the disease, the affected material had to be burned right there in the vineyard.
The relevant authorities state that while the bacterium is highly aggressive towards plants, it poses no danger to humans or animals. It also has no impact on the wine.
Nonetheless, people are advised to stay away from the affected areas to prevent further spread of the disease.
