Potato spindle tuber viroid is not present in Japan
The record of potato spindle tuber viroid (EPPO A2 quarantine pest) appearing in 'Quarantine Pests for Europe' and PQR was established on the basis of the abstract of a paper from Takahashi (1987) on plant viroid diseases occurring in Japan, published in 'Review of Plant Pathology'. In fact, the abstract cited erroneously potato spindle tuber as present in Japan. In the original paper, five viroids are recorded as present in Japan (citrus exocortis, hop stunt, chrysanthemum stunt, apple scar skin and plum dapple viroids), but no mention is made to potato spindle tuber viroid. The Plant Protection Service of Japan has informed the EPPO Secretariat that potato spindle tuber viroid is totally absent from Japan, and is considered as a serious quarantine pest which should not enter Japanese territory.
Sources
Plant Protection Service of Japan, 1996-05.
Takahashi, T. (1987) Plant viroid diseases occurring in Japan.
Japanese Agricultural Research Quarterly, 21(3)184-191.
Review of Plant Pathology (1988), 67(7), p 477 (abst. 4397).