New data on quarantine pests and pests of the EPPO Alert List
By searching through the literature, the EPPO Secretariat has extracted the following new data concerning quarantine pests and pests included (or formerly included) on the EPPO Alert List, and indicated in bold the situation of the pest concerned using the terms of ISPM no. 8.
- New records
The Czech Republic is a protected zone for chestnut blight Cryphonectria parasitica (EPPO A2 List). In November 2021, the pathogen was detected in a sample of bark taken from one tree of Castanea sativa growing in an avenue along a forest stand in the municipality of Strašov (Pardubice region). Eradication measures will be applied (NPPO of the Czech Republic, 2021).
The pest status of Cryphonectria parasitica in the Czech Republic is officially declared as: Present, under eradication.
Euwallacea fornicatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae – EPPO A2 List as part of E. fornicatus sensu lato) is first reported from Australia. In August 2021, E. fornicatus was detected at a residential premises in Perth, Western Australia, infesting a box-elder maple tree (Acer negundo). Further delimiting surveillance has detected the pest in the surrounding suburban area on multiple hosts including Acer saccharum, Delonix regia, Erythrina sp., Mangifera indica, and Sapindus sp. A Quarantine Area has been established to restrict movement, contain the pest, and delimiting surveillance is ongoing (IPPC, 2021).
The pest status of Euwallacea fornicatus in Australia is officially declared as: Present: not widely distributed and under official control.
In Paraguay, Leptoglossus occidentalis (Hemiptera: Coreidae) was first observed in June 2020. A male specimen was collected in Ayolas (Misiones) on the wall of a house (Garcete-Barrett et al., 2021).
Tomato mottle mosaic virus (Tobamovirus, ToMMV – EPPO Alert List) is first reported from Mauritius where it was found on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). In February 2021, unusual symptoms comprising leaf and shoot chlorosis, uneven ripening, necrotic spots on fruits and leaves, as well as leaf distortion, were observed on about 10% of tomato plants in a shade house in the central region of Mauritius. The identity of the virus was confirmed by RT-PCR and sequencing (Maudarbaccus et al., 2021).
- Detailed records
In Tunisia tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (Begomovirus, ToLCNDV – EPPO Alert List) is first reported from Capsicum annuum grown in open fields and in protected cultivation from Haouaria and Bizerte regions (Mnari-Hattab et al., 2022).
In France, Pochazia shantungensis (Hemiptera: Ricaniidae - EPPO Alert List) was first observed by an amateur naturalist in a private garden in Cagnes-sur-Mer in 2018 and 2019 (EPPO RS 2021/129). In 2021, the regional plant protection service installed traps in this garden and in October 2021 one specimen was caught and officially identified by the French official laboratory. No damage was observed on plants in the garden (NPPO of France, 2021).
The pest status of Pochazia shantungensis in France is officially declared as: Present, only in some parts of the Member State concerned.
Xanthomonas fragariae (EPPO A2 List) caused crown infection on strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) plants in Liaoning province, China in autumn 2017 (Feng et al., 2021).
In Spain, Xylotrechus chinensis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae – EPPO Alert List) was first found in 2018 in Catalonia, although it is suspected that this pest of Morus trees had been present there since 2012. A recent study has shown that the infestation spread from 4 towns and 44.1 km² in 2018 to 12 towns and 378.1 km² in 2020. In one studied location (town of Barberà del Vallès), it was observed that the proportion of infested trees rose from 16.2% in February 2016 to 59.3% in December 2018. These studies also demonstrated that females prefer to lay eggs on larger trees, on the crown base or higher part of the trunk, and preferably on the side of the trunk facing the warmer southwest. Experiments also showed that trunk injections with abamectin could reduce the number of new infestations (Sarto i Monteys et al., 2021).
- Eradication
In Germany, Phytophthora ilicis was first recorded in a nursery on plants for planting of Ilex aquifolium in December 2015 (EPPO RS 2016/121). The infected plants had been destroyed and the grower was recommended not to replant Ilex spp. for the next 3 years. No further infection with P. ilicis could be detected at the concerned location in the following years and therefore the outbreak is now considered eradicated (NPPO of Germany, 2022).
The pest status of Phytophthora ilicis in Germany is officially declared as: Absent, pest eradicated.
- Absence
The NPPO of South Africa recently informed the EPPO Secretariat of the absence of Cacoecimorpha pronubana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae – EPPO A2 List) from its territory. In the literature, there was a record (Vári et al., 2002) which has not been confirmed in any other publications. In the most recent list of Lepidoptera of South Africa, based on a review of type specimens of Tortricidae in the Natural History Museums in Pretoria and Cape Town (Krüger, 2020), C. pronubana is considered to be absent. In addition, there are no records of the pest in reference guides about insect pests of South Africa. The NPPO of South Africa therefore considers that the pest is absent from its territory.
The pest status of Cacoecimorpha pronubana in South Africa is officially declared as: Absent.
- Host plants
Potato spindle tuber viroid (Pospiviroid, PSTVd - EPPO A2 List) has been detected in commercial seed lots of Solanum sisymbriifolium (Fowkes et al., 2021). S. sisymbriifolium is used as a trap crop for the management of potato cyst nematode (Globodera pallida and G. rostochiensis, both EPPO A2 List) in rotation with potato crops. The authors underlined the need to investigate the role of this crop as a host of PSTVd and the risk of seed transmission and transmission via roots.
In March 2021, Scirtothrips dorsalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae – EPPO A2 List) was found on celery (Apium graveolens) plants grown under plastic tunnels in Karnataka, India. All stages of the pest could be observed on celery leaves, thus suggesting that S. dorsalis can breed on A. graveolens. Affected plants had discoloured and distorted leaves (Kumar et al., 2021).
Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae – formerly EPPO Alert List) is reported for the first time on immature areca nuts (Areca catechu). The first areca nuts showing damage were collected in August 2021 in 2 different sites in Karnataka, India. Infested nuts showed galleries, starting from the exocarp, through the mesocarp and ending in the kernel. The presence of frass extruded from galleries could also be observed on infested nuts. All galleries were black stained due to the presence of Ambrosiella roeperi, a fungal symbiont of X. crassiusculus, which also contributed to the decay of kernels. Further surveys conducted in Karnataka detected the pest in 9 areca nut plantations out of 30. All of them were young plantations (3 to 7 years-old). During surveys, damage was observed on immature nuts, but not on woody parts of the areca palm. The authors noted that this is the first time that X. crassiusculus is reported on seeds, and therefore further studies are needed to better understand this new characteristic (Thube et al., 2022).
- Epidemiology
Studies conducted in China have shown that Monochamus saltuarius (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is a vector of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (EPPO A2 List) in North-East China. It was observed that the transmission period of the nematode lasted up to 48 days after beetle emergence. In addition, experiments also showed that M. saltuarius could feed on the bark of conifers other than Pinus. In these experiments, the preferred species were Pinus koraiensis, Picea pungens, Picea asperata, Abies fabri and Abies holophylla. The insect was also able to feed on Juniperus formosana, Juniperus chinensis (=Sabina chinensis), Larix gmelinii var. principis-ruprechtii (=Larix principis-ruprechtii) and L. gmelinii var. olgensis (=Larix olgensis). These species were considered to be new potential hosts of M. saltuarius in China (Li et al., 2020).
- New pests and taxonomy
Sphaerulina vaccinii is described as a new species causing leaf spot and stem canker in lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium and V. myrtilloides) in Canada and Maine (USA) (Ali et al., 2021).
Sources
Ali S, Hildebrand PD, Renderos WE, Abbasi PA (2021) Identification and characterization of Sphaerulina vaccinii sp. nov. as the cause of leaf spot and stem canker in lowbush blueberry and its epidemiology. Phytopathology 111(9), 1560-1570.
Feng J, Li YL, Wang DJ, Ma Y, Cai X, Xiao S, Wen Y (2021) First report of Xanthomonas fragariae strain YL19 causing crown infection pockets in strawberry in Liaoning Province, China. Plant Disease 105(8), 2237.
Fowkes A, Skelton A, Frew L, Buxton‐Kirk A, Forde S, Ward R, Harju V, Weekes R, Fox A (2021) Potato spindle tuber viroid detected from Solanum sisymbriifolium seed in trade. New Disease Reports 44(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/ndr2.12043
Garcete-Barrett BR, Rios SD, Galeano S (2021) Primer reporte de la chinche americana de los pinos, Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann, 1910 (Hemiptera, Coreidae) en Paraguay. Paraquaria Natural 8, 12-14. https://paraquaria.org.py/product/primer-reporte-de-la-chinche-americana-de-los-pinos-leptoglossus-occidentalis-heidemann-1910-hemiptera-coreidae-en-paraguay/
IPPC website. Official Pest Reports – Australia (AUS-105/1 of 2021-11-03) Euwallacea fornicatus (polyphagous shot-hole borer, PSHB) in Western Australia. https://www.ippc.int/fr/countries/australia/pestreports/2021/11/euwallacea-fornicatus-polyphagous-shot-hole-borer-pshb-in-western-australia/
Krüger M (2020) Checklist of the Lepidoptera of southern Africa. Metamorphosis 31(2), 201 pp.
Kumar PS, Rachana RR (2021) Scirtothrips dorsalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is a pest of celery, Apium graveolens (Apiales: Apiaceae): first report and diagnostic characters. Journal of Integrated Pest Management 12(1), 46. https://doi.org/10.1093/jipm/pmab039
Li M, Li H, Sheng RC, Sun H, Sun SH, Chen FM (2020) The first record of Monochamus saltuarius (Coleoptera; Cerambycidae) as vector of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus and its new potential hosts in China. Insects 11(9), 636. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11090636
Maudarbaccus F, Lobin K, Vally V, Gungoosingh‐Bunwaree A, Menzel W (2021) First report of tomato mottle mosaic virus on tomato in Mauritius. New Disease Reports 44(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/ndr2.12041
Mnari-Hattab M, Zaagueri T, Zammouri S, Rhim T (2022) First report of tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus infecting pepper in Tunisia. Journal of Plant Pathology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42161-022-01033-1
NPPO of Czech Republic (2021-12).
NPPO of France, 2021-12).
NPPO of Germany (2022-01).
NPPO of South Africa (2021-11).
Sarto i Monteys V, Costa Ribes A, Savin I (2021) The invasive longhorn beetle Xylotrechus chinensis, pest of mulberries, in Europe: Study on its local spread and efficacy of abamectin control. PLoS ONE 16(1), e0245527. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245527
Thube SH, Pandian TP, Bhavishya A, Babu M, Josephrajkumar A, Chaithra M, Hegde V, Ruzzier E (2022) Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and its fungal symbiont Ambrosiella roeperi associated with arecanut kernel decay in Karnataka, India. Insects 13, 67. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13010067
Vári L, Kroon DM, Krüger M (2002) Classification and checklist of the species of Lepidoptera recorded in Southern Africa. Simple Solutions, Chatsworth, Australia, 385 pp.