First report of Xanthomonas fragariae in Finland
The NPPO of Finland recently informed the EPPO Secretariat of the first outbreak of Xanthomonas fragariae (EPPO A2 List) on its territory. The bacterium was detected during an inspection carried out in a strawberry fruit production site on 2011-07-22. A sample was taken from symptomatic plants and tested according to the EPPO Standard PM 7/65(1). The strawberry plants had been delivered by a Dutch company in 2010. Because there are no previous records of X. fragariae in Finland, it is suspected that that the bacterium was introduced with strawberry planting material. All plants of the infested lot will be destroyed and cultivation of strawberry will be prohibited for two years on the site concerned.
The pest status of Xanthomonas fragariae in Finland is officially declared as: Present, under eradication.
Sources
NPPO of Finland (2011-11).
EPPO Standard PM 7/65(1) Diagnostic protocol Xanthomonas fragariae. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2338.2006.00926.x/pdf