Italy: National working group on kiwi PSA research

A national workshop on PSA research in kiwi took place in Italy. It was attended by representatives of the concerned regions, of the agricultural department and the world of scientific research, including the CRA (Council for Research and Experimentation in Agriculture), the CSO (Centro Servizi Fruit and vegetables), La Sapienza University and the University of Tuscia.

"During the meeting - said the Councillor for Agriculture of the Region of Lazio, Angela Birindelli - in addition to the status of the actions implemented by the Lazio Region, the various projects that the Ministry of Agriculture has initiated with financial support totalling € 2.5 million have been presented. It has emerged from the meeting the need for an action coordinated by a national contact point that will gather all the available information, to enable greater collaboration and to ensure prompt effectiveness of the efforts that the various research organizations are doing to fight and prevent this kiwi plant diseases".

Among the most important projects implemented is the monitoring of the propagation of the disease and the creation of a special register of the kiwifruit growing areas. Thanks to this research, farmers will be able to provide the information required by the EU for the issue of natural disaster compensations, which in the next Rural Development Programme 2014 - 2020 will also include plant diseases.