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Scientists of the Scientific-Research Center of Agriculture, together with an Italian expert, continue research into hazelnut disease

Professor Vladimiro Guarnaccia of the University of Turin, Italy, paid a working visit to the LEPL Scientific-Research Center of Agriculture. The Italian expert, together with the specialists of the center, got acquainted with rapid hazelnut wilting in the Adjara and Guria-Samegrelo regions. The members of the working group examined the manifestations of the disease on site and took analytical samples for further diagnostic studies in both Georgian and Italian scientific laboratories.

"I have given the opportunity to see how this disease manifests itself in the field. It is necessary to accurately identify the pathogen in order to develop effective control measures. The research center has already carried out significant work and we will further study the samples in the Italian laboratory," said Vladimiro Guarnaccia, associate professor of plant pathology at the University of Turin.

The Scientific-Research Center of Agriculture has been actively working on the issue of hazelnut wilting since 2023. Under the leadership of the Center's Director, Levan Ujmajuridze, a special working group was created, which studied the spread of the disease on site in various regions of Adjara and Western Georgia, took samples and began their laboratory analysis. Today, this group, in cooperation with an Italian expert, continues to work intensively to accurately identify the causative agent of the disease and develop effective management measures.

The problem of wilting hazelnuts has been actively observed in Western Georgia in recent years. As a result of the conducted studies, symptom complexes of bacterial blight (Xanthomonas arboricola), bacterial cancer (Pseudomonas avellanae), fungal diseases (Verticillium sp. and others) as well as a number of abiotic factors have been identified. The specialists of the center are working intensively with mycological, serological (ELISA) and molecular (PCR) methods, in parallel, preventive and treatment measures are being developed, and farmers are being informed.

"The Scientific-Research Center of Agriculture is actively working on studying hazelnut diseases and providing recommendations to farmers. Our goal is to develop practical ways to solve the problem and help entrepreneurs properly plan both preventive and curative measures," said Zurab Khidesheli, Head of the Integrated Plant Protection Research Department of the Scientific-Research Center.