Researchers discovered that olive trees in Greece naturally harbor several species of fungi, including a newly identified disease-causing fungus called Colletotrichum scovillei. More importantly, they found that other fungi living harmlessly inside the olive tissue can protect the plant by fighting against the harmful fungi. Two of these protective fungi, KORD1f and KORD4f, reduced olive anthracnose disease symptoms by 67-73%, suggesting they could be used as natural alternatives to chemical fungicides for olive disease management.