Olives

Olive plants can be affected by a large number of pathogens such as viruses, phytoplasmas, bacteria, fungi, and chromista, which may cause serious diseases and affect the yield and quality of olive production. Among these, viral diseases represent a serious threat to olive cultivation. Viral diseases of olive trees can in fact cause visible and striking symptoms on the foliage and fruits, or be present in a latent way with regard to phenological aspects but instead affect some aspects of production, such as plant vigor or oil quality. Some viruses, on the other hand, are completely latently hosted by the olive trees but pose a very important danger to other crops. In this chapter, we will deal with the main viral diseases of the olive trees, focusing on their biological and molecular characteristics, diagnosis, and their control.