Reported by Science Daily
A new airborne remote-imaging method that scans entire orchards can identify olive trees infected by a devastating bacterium before visible symptoms appear, according to new research.
The scanning, which can be deployed using planes or drones, may help control the spread of infection and save southern Europe's iconic tree.
By Chris Stewart
An invasive beetle responsible for wiping out huge tracts of the nation’s ash population also has a taste for olive trees, researchers at Wright State University have learned.
Though the emerald ash borer is not an immediate threat to domestic orchards or groves overseas where most olives are grown, the study yields that the killer insect finds a global commodity crop — closely related to the ash tree — an acceptable host.
