L'expérimentation de 1993 au mas Sainte-Olympe , la course contre les pucerons vecteurs, le recul de l'épidémie en 1994, l'éparpillement du foyer confirmé en 1995, poursuite de la stratégie contre la Sharka... Since the discovery of an important focus of sharka M-strain on peach trees from Ste-Olympe farm (Gard), an experimentation has been carried out to locate and devitalize the infected trees, in March, April, and May at the latest, before the travelling aphids passage. Really it's a question of a running against those potential vectors : some 30000 to 50000, belonging to 40 Aphididae species, can visit a developped tree. A clear decline of the disease has been noted : 2300 infected stocks in 1993, 335 in 1994, then 160 in 1995, that is to say at present 0,3% of the peach trees.
This precocious prospecting and eradication method will permit to control the sharka disease and to safeguard the orchards. In order to strengthen the fruit growers motivation, a prospecting help on contaminated municipalities should be considered.
