First finding of Stolbur phytoplasma in Austria
The NPPO of Austria recently notified the EPPO Secretariat of the first finding of Stolbur phytoplasma (EPPO A2 list) on ware potatoes (Solanum tuberosum). The pathogen was recently detected by a farmer in the district of Neunkirchen (Niederösterreich) and notified to the local plant protection service in Niederösterreich. The occurrence of the pathogen was officially confirmed. The local plant protection service ordered that the potatoes from the infested field may only be marketed for consumption and not for planting. During the present growing season, the field will be inspected officially and volunteer plants will be destroyed. The source of this infection is unknown.
The declared status of Stolbur phytoplasma in Austria is: Present, first found in 2003, only in one farm in Niederösterreich, under observation.
Sources
NPPO of Austria, 2004-01.