New data on quarantine pests and pests of the EPPO Alert List
By searching through the literature, the EPPO Secretariat has extracted the following new data concerning quarantine pests and pests included (or formerly included) on the EPPO Alert List, and indicated in bold the situation of the pest concerned using the terms of ISPM 8.
- New records
Grapevine red globe virus (Maculavirus, GRGV) is reported for the first time from Slovenia. The virus was detected in samples which had been collected in 2019 from grapevine plants grown for breeding purposes in the Vipavska valley (Primorska wine-growing region) (Miljanić et al., 2021). Present, not widely distributed.
- Detailed records
In China, Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae – EPPO A1 List) was only reported in the southern part of the country, but over the last decade, it has also been reported in northern China (Beijing, Hebei, Henan, and Shaanxi) (Zhu et al., 2022).
In Germany, Elachiptera decipiens (Diptera: Chloropidae) was found in maize (Zea mays) in 2015 and 2021 (EPPO RS 2021/246). The express pest risk assessment conducted in 2015 was updated in 2022 and concluded that the phytosanitary risk for Germany and for EU member states is low (JKI, 2022; NPPO of Germany, 2022).
The pest status of Elachiptera decipiens in Germany is officially declared as: Present in one area, at low prevalence.
In Colombia, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Tropical race 4 was first reported in banana plantations in August 2019 (EPPO RS 2019/154). Further surveys were conducted, and it is considered that most of the country is free from the pathogen, except for one site in the municipality of Zona Bananera (department of Magdalena) and several zones in the municipalities of Riohacha and Dibulla (department of La Guajira). Official measures are applied (ICA, 2021).
The pest status of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Tropical race 4 in Colombia is officially declared as: Present, under official control.
In Chile, Gnomoniopsis smithogilvyi a fungal pathogen causing brown rot of chestnut (Castanea sativa) has been identified for the first time. The fungus was found during studies conducted from 2018 to 2020 on chestnut fruit collected from 2 packing houses in Ñuble, receiving chestnuts from orchards in Central-Southern Chile. It is noted that in earlier studies, brown rot symptoms observed in the 1980s had been attributed to Phomopsis castanea, but re-examination of the isolate has shown that it was G. smithogilvyi (Cisterna‑Oyarce et al., 2022).
In Slovenia, the bacterial wilt of maize caused by Pantoea stewartii subsp. stewartii (EPPO A2 List) was first found in 2018 in 2 maize (Zea mays) fields in Western Slovenia (EPPO RS 2018/224), as well as in 2019 (RS 2020/129). In 2021, Pantoea stewartii subsp. stewartii was found again in four locations in the same region as in 2018 and 2019. Symptoms (pale green to grey streaks, reddening, growth reduction) were visible on a very low number of plants. These maize crops were cultivated for forage production (grains and silage). In Western Slovenia there is no maize seed production (NPPO of Slovenia, 2021-09).
The pest status of Pantoea stewartii subsp. stewartii in Slovenia is officially declared as: Transient, actionable, under eradication, under surveillance.
In the USA, grapevine red globe virus (Maculavirus, GRGV) was first found in California. During surveys conducted in grapevine (Vitis vinifera) nurseries in Washington state, GRGV was detected (Jarugula et al., 2021).
- Eradication
In Poland, Opogona sacchari (Lepidoptera: Tineidae – EPPO A2 List) was found in February 2019 on a ‘ficus ginseng’ bonsai (Ficus microcarpa) for sale in a shop. All plants from the infested lot were destroyed. The NPPO of Poland recently informed the EPPO Secretariat that this outbreak had been eradicated (NPPO of Poland, 2022).
- Absence
In Australia, Phytophthora fragariae (EPPO A2 List) has been reported infrequently based on morphological features, and without any supporting molecular data. An isolate originally classified as P. fragariae was subsequently sequenced and reassigned to P. citrophthora. Burgess et al. (2021) considered that P. fragariae should be considered absent from Australia.
In Israel, tomato mottle mosaic virus (Tobamovirus, ToMMV – EPPO Alert List) was detected in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants in 2014 in the greenhouse of a seed-producing company. Since this isolated finding, ToMMV has not been found again in Israel. The NPPO of Israel considers that ToMMV is absent from its territory (2021-12).
- Host plants
Tomato spotted wilt virus (Tospovirus, TSWV – EPPO A2 List) was detected in March 2021 in Chamaedorea elegans (Arecaceae, parlour palm) plants in a commercial greenhouse in Gwangju, South Korea. Affected plants showed leaf symptoms of mild mosaic and chlorotic ring spots (Lee et al., 2022).
In Argentina, plum pox virus (Potyvirus, PPV – EPPO A2 List) was first detected in November 2004 in San Juan province and in Mendoza province in 2006. After many years of surveys and destruction of infected material, PPV is still present but with a low incidence. In spring 2018, foliar symptoms were observed on a plant of Spiraea sp. (Rosaceae) in a private garden located within the PPV quarantine area in San Rafael (Mendoza province). Leaves showed yellow or light green ring spots and interveinal yellowing. The presence of PPV was detected by DAS-ELISA and confirmed by conventional and qRT-PCR, as well as by grafting on indicator plants (peach GF305). It was also shown that the isolate found on Spiraea sp. belongs to PPV D strain (the strain which occurs in Argentina). This the first time that PPV is detected in a Rosaceae outside of the genus Prunus (Pigliónico et al., 2021).
Sources
Burgess TI, Edwards J, Drenth A, Massenbauer T, Cunnington J, Mostowfizadeh-Ghalamfarsa R, Dinh Q, Liew EC, White D, Scott P, Barber PA (2021) Current status of Phytophthora in Australia. Persoonia-Molecular Phylogeny and Evolution of Fungi 47(1), 151-177. https://doi.org/10.3767/persoonia.2021.47.05
Cisterna-Oyarce V, Carrasco-Fernández J, Castro JF, Santelices C, Muñoz Reyes V, Millas P, Buddie AG, France A (2022) Gnomoniopsis smithogilvyi: Identification, characterization and incidence of the main pathogen causing brown rot in postharvest sweet chestnut fruits (Castanea sativa) in Chile. Australasian Plant Disease Notes 17, 2. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13314-022-00450-6.pdf
Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario (ICA) (2021-12-22) Actualización de la condición de Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense Raza 4 Tropical – Foc R4T (Sin: Fusarium odoratissimum). https://www.ica.gov.co/areas/agricola/servicios/epidemiologia-agricola/saf/notificacion-oficial/detalle-notificacion-oficial/actualizacion-de-la-condicion-de-fusarium-oxysporu
Jarugula S, Chingandu N, Adiputra J, Bagewadi B, Adegbola R, Thammina C, Naidu R (2021) First report of grapevine red globe virus in grapevines in Washington State. Plant Disease 105(3), p 717 https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-07-20-1609-PDN
JKI (2022) Express – PRA zu Elachiptera decipiens. https://pra.eppo.int/pra/e5d9cbee-3b5d-4680-8e3c-c0c3591c1d19
Lee HJ, Kim NK, Hwang SY, Yang KY, Jeong RD (2022) First report of tomato spotted wilt virus infecting parlor palm (Chamaedorea elegans) with leaf mosaic and ring spot disease in Korea. Journal of Plant Pathology 104, p 415.
Miljanić V, Jakše J, Kunej U, Rusjan D, Škvarč A, Štajner N (2022) First report of grapevine red globe virus, grapevine rupestris vein feathering virus and grapevine Syrah virus-1 infecting grapevine in Slovenia. Plant Disease (early view). https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-05-21-1069-PDN
NPPO of Germany (2022-02).
NPPO of Israel (2021-12).
NPPO of Poland (2022-03).
NPPO of Slovenia (2021-09).
Pigliónico D, Ojeda ME, Lucero V, Farrando R, Porcel L, Picca C, Marini D (2021) Spiraea sp. new natural host of Plum pox virus (Sharka). European Journal of Plant Pathology 159(4), 959-962.
Zhu Y, Qi F, Tan X, Zhang T, Teng Z, Fan Y, Wan F, Zhou H (2022) Use of age-stage, two-sex life table to compare the fitness of Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae) on Northern and Southern host fruits in China. Insects 13(3), 258. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13030258