News from the Diagnostic Centre of the Dutch NPPO - 2001
The EPPO Secretariat has extracted the following points from the 2001 Annual Report of the Diagnostic Centre of the Dutch NPPO.
In September 2001, Cacopsylla fulguralis (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha – EPPO Alert List) was identified on Elaeagnus in a Dutch nursery. Later in the year, nymphs and adults were collected from another nursery near the first finding. It is noted that there was no specific damage on the plants.
Survey on Diabrotica virgifera virgifera (EPPO A2 quarantine pest) continued in 2001. No beetle was found in the Netherlands.
A new Fusarium species causing basal rot and wilt has been observed on Begonia x elatior during winter 2000/2001. As this new disease may present a significant risk, the EPPO Secretariat will look for more information to appear in a later issue.
Gibberella acutata (anamorph Colletotricum acutatum - EU Annexes) was found on Lupinus and Philodendron.
Impatiens necrotic spot tospovirus (EPPO A2 quarantine pest) has been detected in new host plants: Antirrhinum major, Aphelandra, and Saintpaulia.
A nation-wide survey is being carried out in the Netherlands for Phytophthora ramorum (EPPO Alert List). More than 200 localities were inspected, including forests, lane trees, gardens, nurseries, flower and nursery plant sellers. P. ramorum was found in a few cases: 12 Rhododendron and Viburnum bodnantense plants in nurseries, and 10 Rhododendron plants in public gardens or forest. In all cases, neighbouring oak stands did no show any visible symptoms of the disease. In nurseries, all infected plants were destroyed, and in gardens diseased parts of plants were removed.
In October 2001, one adult of Scyphophorus acupunctatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae – EPPO Alert List) was found in a glasshouse in Amsterdam on a dying Yucca plant. An adult and a larva were also collected from a Beaucarnea plant in Rijsenhout.
Potato bacteria: during the 2001 survey, approximately 72,000 potato samples were tested.
Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus (EPPO A2 quarantine pest): 5 places of production (including 2 with seed potatoes) were found infected. Ring rot was also detected on imported industrial and ware potatoes (16 samples).
Ralstonia solanacearum (EPPO A2 quarantine pest): 15 places of production (including 11 with seed potatoes) were found infected. Samples of surface water and weeds (mainly Solanum dulcamara) were also tested. The bacterium was found in 12.6% of water samples et in 7.3% of weed samples (all S. dulcamara). These potato bacteria are under official control.
In October 2001, Potato spindle tuber pospiviroid (EPPO A2 quarantine pest) was detected in a tomato sample from the Netherlands. The origin of this isolated infestation could not be traced.
Synchytrium endobioticum (EPPO A2 quarantine pest) was detected in 2 new locations in the south of the Netherlands, and 3 new locations in the north-eastern part. Descheduling of 8 fields in the north-east and 6 fields in the south-east was achieved. So far, only pathotypes 1 and 2 occurred in the Netherlands, but recently pathovar 6 was also detected in the northeast at Wezuperbrug (see also Stachewicz & Baayen, 2003).
A thrips resembling Thrips palmi (Thysanoptera: Thripidae – EPPO A1 quarantine pest) was found on Serissa bonsai plants in the province of Zuid-Holland in June 2001. It lacked some of the regular characters of the species. Finally, it was identified as T. palmi, but this ‘Serissa’ form can be distinguished from the ‘regular’ form by a few minor and variable characters of the adults. Containment and eradication measures were taken.
Tomato spotted wilt tospovirus (EPPO A2 quarantine pest) has been detected in a new host plant: Ligularia cristata.
In 2001, Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. dieffenbachiae (EPPO A1 quarantine pest) was detected in five samples of Anthurium received from two cut flower production places. Eradication measures were taken.
Sources
Annual Report 2001, Diagnostic Centre, Plant Protection Service, 135 pp.
Stachewicz, H.; Baayen, R.; (2003) [Identification of a new pathotype of potato wart, Synchytrium endobioticum (Schilb.) Perc. in the Netherlands.]
Nachrichtenblatt des Deutschen Planzenschutzdienstes, 55(1), 6-9.