Vaccine stops Dutch elm disease

Description

Since 1992 over half a million Dutch elms have been ‘vaccinated’ against Dutch elm disease. Among these vaccinated trees, only 0.1% was infected by the fungus via the infamous elm bark beetle over recent years. The Wageningen UR business unit Biointeractions & Plant Health has been producing fungal spores for the vaccine since 2000. “It is not inconceivable that this type of vaccination could also be developed for other tree diseases in the future,” says Bio-interactions & Plant Health phytopathologist Joeke Postma.