LAINCO starts trials with SENSATIO^®, the solution against Xylella fastidiosa in Mallorca

LAINCO continues its commitment to the development and research of new products. In this sense, the company, in collaboration with the Agriculture Service of the Balearic Islands Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, has started field trials on almond trees with SENSATIO^®, the first natural solution against Xylella fastidiosa based on eucalyptus essential oil.

After 5 years of study, on December 2021 this Spanish company obtained the patent for its natural solution with the aim of ending up with the problem that Xylella fastidiosa produces on agriculture worldwide.  A natural solution that the company will put on the market under the commercial name of SENSATIO^®.

Xylella fastidiosa is one of the most dangerous bacteria for modern agriculture, responsible for numerous economic losses worldwide. It is responsible for widespread wilting, in some more acute cases, drying of leaves and branches and, finally, the death of the entire plant. So far, the only control measures to prevent its spread are the demarcation of the area where its presence is detected and the eradication of the affected crop.

Olives and almond trees are among the crops affected by this bacterium. According to a study by the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), the Xylella fastidiosa bacteria is responsible for the disease that affects 80% of almond trees in Mallorca and reveals that it arrived at the island almost three decades ago, with the introduction of infected Californian almond trees. The study has confirmed that, in Mallorca, almond leaf scab is caused by two different subspecies of Xylella fastidiosa: fastidiosa and multiplex.

Trials in almond trees via endotherapy

For six-month working period and thanks to the collaboration by both entities, this month of June have been initiating the first applications of the field in almond tree cultivation in Mallorca.

These trials are being carried out via endotherapy, an alternative method of phytosanitary treatment of trees with low environmental impact. The system consists of injecting SENSATIO^® into the tree trunk, which is translocated through the xylem towards the apex of the plant. This technology was first developed in the United States in the 1990s. From there it was transferred to Italy, and from there it is beginning to spread into Europe.

SENSATIO^® a BIOcontrol product by LAINCO

LAINCO  presents a complete range of phytosanitary products and biosolutions in continuous evolution and improvement, with the main objective of complying with all Spanish and European regulations to ensure their efficacy and safety. The continuous improvement of LAINCO's product portfolio makes the company a benchmark for the sector, which is committed to sustainability and care for the environment with products that are increasingly focused on ecological agriculture.

Within its wide product catalog, SENSATIO^® will lead LAINCO's BIOcontrol product catalog, being a very useful tool for agriculture in Spain and Europe, of great quality and above all respectful with the environment that will allow the fight against a pathogen such as Xylella.