Aphelenchoides besseyi does not occur in Slovakia
In the 2nd edition of Quarantine Pests for Europe, Aphelenchoides besseyi (EPPO A2 list) was considered as present in Slovakia. The NPPO of Slovakia looked for the source of this information and found that it dated from the period before 1993 (former Czechoslovakia) without any reference to hosts or detailed distribution. In Slovakia, the last attempts to grow rice were done in 1950s-1960s, so rice is now no longer cultivated. Regarding strawberry, the presence of A. besseyi has not been reported in Slovakia. Therefore, the NPPO of Slovakia considered that, so far, A. besseyi is not known to occur on its territory. However, surveys will be made in 2005 on strawberry crops to verify the present situation.
The situation of A. besseyi in Slovakia can be described as follows: Absent, no pest records.
Sources
NPPO of Slovakia, 2005-03.