Olive quick decline syndrome

Olive quick decline syndrome
An olive grove infested with Xylella fastidiosa in Apulia, Italy in 2019
Common namesOQDS
Causal agentsXylella fastidiosa
HostsOlive trees
VectorsMeadow froghopper
DistributionSouthern Italy
SymptomsDieback of the leaves, twigs and branches

Olive quick decline syndrome (OQDS) (in Italian: Complesso del Disseccamento Rapido dell'Olivo, CDRO or CoDiRo) is a wasting disease of olive trees which causes dieback of the leaves, twigs and branches so that the trees no longer produce crops of olives. The main cause is a strain of the bacterium, Xylella fastidiosa, which is spread by plant-sucking insects such as the meadow froghopper. The bacteria restrict the flow of sap within the tree and so choke its extremities.