Recommendations to policy makers from Euphresco projects
The following research project has recently been carried out in the framework of Euphresco (network for phytosanitary research coordination and funding hosted by EPPO). A report presenting the main objectives and results of this project, as well as recommendations made to policy makers can be viewed on the Internet.
Identification and early detection of Cryphonectria parasitica and Ceratocystis platani occurring on trees in Europe (CERACRY)
The main objective of this project was to bring together scientists, practitioners and NPPOs to share knowledge on two important quarantine diseases of trees in Europe: Ceratocystis platani and Cryphonectria parasitica.
The project contributed to:
- improve knowledge on the distribution of C. parasitica in European countries;
- develop a collection of C. parasitica isolates, and use them to determine the population structure of C. parasitica in Europe;
- organise a test performance study of the real-time PCR test developed by Pilotti et al. (2012) for the detection of C. platani in wood.
This project showed that, not only planting material, but also stakes/poles made from sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) wood could be a source of inoculum of C. parasitica. Fencing made with sweet chestnut wood is very popular because it is more resistant to decay than many other types of wood. Debarking of poles/stakes is recommended to prevent the introduction of C. parasitica into areas where the fungus is still absent. It is also recommended that more attention should be paid to the possible spread of C. platani into Northern Europe. Recently, C. platani was detected in the municipality of Nantes (France), and in the suburbs of Paris (EPPO RS 2019/188). Therefore, surveys for C. platani in countries such as Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands should be intensified.
Authors: van Leeuwen, Gerard; Heungens, Kurt; Chandelier, Anne; Svobodová, Iveta; Tománková, Katerina; Csertan-Halasz, Agnes; Destefanis, Maria; Pilotti, Massimo; Braganca, Helena; Perez-Sierra, Ana; Vettraino, Anna Maria; Parker, John; Prospero, Simone.
Duration of the project: 2016-09-01 to 2018-08-01.
Link: https://zenodo.org/record/3541119#.XcyBgVdKjIU
Sources
Euphresco (2019-11). https://www.euphresco.net/projects/ |