Potato spindle tuber viroid does not occur in Poland
The presence of Potato spindle tuber viroid (Pospiviroid, PSTVd – EPPO A2 list) in Poland has been mentioned in the past on two occasions, in the EPPO RS 509/17 (1991) and in a publication from Gora et al. (1994). In the first case, the source used in 1991 could not be traced. In the second case, one of the authors could confirm that the three isolates mentioned in their laboratory study had been obtained from the collection of the Potato Research Centre, Unit Młochów (now called Plant Breeding and Acclimatisation Institute, Research Division in Młochów). The origin of the PSTVd isolates was not indicated in the paper and could not be traced back because of elapsed time and staff changes within the Institute. Therefore, both records should now be considered doubtful.
In addition, the NPPO of Poland recently informed the EPPO Secretariat that PSTVd was not detected during the official surveys that have been conducted from 2002 to 2010 across the country. All seed potato crops were subjected to visual inspections, and all lots of elite seed potatoes were sampled and tested in the laboratory (R-PAGE, and PCR assays). From 2002 to 2010, 1133 samples were tested and all gave negative results. Moreover, all potato genotypes used in the Polish breeding system (maintained in vitro in the genotype bank by the Plant Breeding and Acclimatisation Institute) have been tested and found free from PSTVd. Finally, official checks have also been performed since 2007 on all propagation material of tomato and on plants for planting of ornamental Solanaceae (in particular Brugmansia sp. and Solanum jasminoides). As a result, PSTVd was detected in 2 samples of S. jasminoides. In these 2 cases, infected plants derived from imported material and all infected lots were destroyed. In conclusion, the NPPO considers that PSTVd is absent from Poland.
The pest status of Potato spindle tuber viroid in Poland is officially declared as: Absent, confirmed by survey, intercepted only.
Sources
NPPO of Poland (2011-03, 2011-06).
Gora A, Candresse T, Zagorski W (1994) Analysis of the population structure of three phenotypically different PSTVd isolates. Archives of Virology 138(3-4), 233-245.