Eighth seminar of the new Xylella Seminar Series jointly organised by the EU funded Bexyl project, EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) and Auburn University.  Luis Moll, Universitat de Girona (Spain), gave a presentation entitled Mitigation of almond leaf scorch by novel peptides targeting key processes of Xylella fastidiosa and its host. His research focuses on developing sustainable strategies to either prevent the development of diseases caused by X. fastidiosa or try to cure infected plants. It explores the potential of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as an eco-friendly alternative to conventional pesticides. AMPs are promising due to their low toxicity, biodegradability and minimal environmental impact. However, their effects on X. fastidiosa and the infected plants are not fully understood. The aim is to fill this knowledge gap by studying the impact of AMPs on the biological processes of X. fastidiosa and evaluating their protective effects on infected plants, contributing to the development of new sustainable treatments.