Endotherapy treatments to the public and private natural arboreal heritage

Endotherapeutic treatments for arboreal heritage

Globalization and climate change favor the adaptation of exotic species even in environments different from their original ones or favor the expansion of native pathogens.

In some cases, this can have disastrous consequences on agricultural crops and/or ecosystems.

In particular, in recent years, plant diseases previously unknown to the general public have entered common vocabulary, such as Xylella fastidiosa, a bacterium transmitted by the insect Philaenus spumarius (commonly known as the meadow spittlebug), which affects the xylem vessels of olive trees, causing them to dry up and eventually die.

In urban areas, we can mention the notorious pine tortoise scale (Toumeyella parvicornis), an insect that feeds on sap, causing the drying out of the crown and then the death of the host. This insect, native to North America, was first reported in Naples in 2015 and has since spread widely, becoming one of the species subject to mandatory control (Ministerial Decree of June 3, 2021).

In 2022, in the Lazio region, the spread of the scale insect extended beyond the borders of the municipalities of Rome and Fiumicino, leading to the establishment of "infested zones" and "buffer zones."

Phytosanitary treatments

For these and other diseases, a preventive approach proves effective. Specifically, this type of control can be executed on the disease vector, thereby preventing its spread.

Since the 1970s, endotherapeutic treatments on plants have become widespread. This method allows for the introduction of products into the xylem vessels that help the plant combat the pathogen.

The endotherapeutic methodology is based on the principle that by injecting a substance characterized by systemic properties directly into the trunk of a plant, it distributes evenly through the crown via the plant's vascular system, where it exerts its protective action for the entire season.

Ignition Technique with I.C.A. Methodology

The technical solutions that the market offers us are many, but all fall into three application criteria:

Absorption infusion (zero pressure);
Low-pressure infusion (additional pressure up to 2 Atm);
High-pressure infusion (pressure over 3 Atm, up to 7 Atm);

The first system is the slowest, "gentlest," least invasive, and least damaging, but it is also the method most dependent on the perfect conditions of the tree's foliage, soil moisture (ideally 60%), light (between 25,000 and 50,000 lux), and temperature (around 20-22°C depending on the botanical species; for example, 25-30°C for palms, 16-18°C for beech).

The second system is the most reliable, as it is less dependent on the perfect conditions of the plant and less damaging than the third method. It can be applied with various machines ranging from pre-pressurized bottles to spring-loaded pipettes to cylinders connected to a compressor or chargeable with a bicycle pump.

The high-pressure system was widely used in Italy in the first decade of this century but has recently become secondary to the now most widely used low-pressure systems.

The high-pressure system has always generated harsh criticism from major arborists who have identified the pressurized shock, which can reach 5-6-7 Atm, as the cause of severe damage to the walls of woody vessels, with implosions of some vessels and explosions of others.

Vantaggi dell'endoterapia

Advantages of endotherapeutic treatment are:

No dispersion of substances into the environment
Ability to reach internal areas of the plant that sprays cannot
Reduction in application doses per unit area
Protection of beneficial
entomofauna
Prolonged action persistence, usually 2 growing seasons with a residual effect in the 3rd year; this allows offering treatments to clients even in alternate years
Possibility of performing treatments in highly urbanized environments with people and animals present

Soradis S.I.A. S.r.l. develops the correct intervention methodologies thanks to its twenty-year experience in endoxylematic treatments by its technicians and is able to offer its clients an excellent and cutting-edge service.