First report of cotton leaf curl Gezira virus in Belgium
The NPPO of Belgium recently informed the Secretariat of the first findings of cotton leaf curl Gezira virus (Begomovirus, CLCuGV, EU A1 Quarantine pest as ‘Begomovirus’) on its territory. CLCuGV has also been reported recently in the Netherlands (EPPO RS 2022/153) on Lavatera plants.
The NPPO of Belgium was notified in August 2022 that trace-back studies had shown that some infested lots of Lavatera plants had been delivered in August 2021 and April 2022 to four operators in Belgium. Surveys were conducted in these premises. Some of the plants were found to have been sold on to operators in France and the French NPPO was notified. At one of the operators in Belgium (province of Liège), Lavatera plants tested positive for CLCuGV. However these plants were not linked to the lot or the operator of the original outbreak. Trace-back investigations showed that these Lavatera plants came from a German operator. Authorities in Germany have been informed. The presence of the vector (Bemisia tabaci) has been monitored with sticky traps, and no specimens were caught. Other host plants present and linked to the same German operator were sampled, and the results have not yet been received. Some of these Lavatera plants had already been sold to private customers, but the remaining ones will be destroyed.
The pest status of cotton leaf curl Gezira virus in Belgium is officially declared as: Present, under eradication.
Sources
NPPO of Belgium (2022-08, 2022-09). |