EPPO Global Database

EPPO Reporting Service no. 05 - 2025 Num. article: 2025/130

Phantom disease agents of fruit crops and rose


In a similar approach to a previous review of citrus diseases (EPPO RS 2023/259) a collaborative work by over 180 researchers from over 40 countries identified 120 phantom agents originally reported from ten key plant genera (Citrus, Cydonia, Fragaria, Malus, Prunus, Pyrus, Ribes, Rosa, Rubus, Vitis) that should no longer be listed in regulatory lists. 

In the EPPO Global Database (GD), when a disease agent has been identified, this has gradually been reflected in the database (i.e. diseases have been assigned to their causal agents). However, when analyzing the list provided by Tzanetakis et al. (2025), the EPPO Secretariat noted that the following diseases still had an entry in GD. As a consequence, these diseases will be either removed (e.g. Grapevine enation agent) from the database, or reassigned to their associated pathogens (e.g. Pear corky pit agent will be assigned to Foveavirus mali). All obsolete EPPO Codes will be deactivated. Pests listed on the EPPO lists (raspberry leaf curl virus and strawberry latent C virus) will be reviewed by the EPPO Panel on Phytosanitary Measures

In addition, the table mentions when the agents were listed in lists of regulated pests available in GD. It may be noted that the status of a number of regulated pests are being reviewed in the framework of the EU Project on Regulated Non-Quarantine Pests (https://www.eppo.int/RESOURCES/special_projects/rnqp_II_project ).


Agents/Diseases to be removed from EPPO Global Database

Agent/disease name

EPPO Code

Regulated in

Apple bumpy fruit of Ben Davis


EU, CH, GB 

Apple ringspot agent

APRS00

AR, CA, MX, US

Apple rosette agent

APR000

CA

Apple russet wart


EU, CH, GB 

Apple star crack agent

APHW00

EU, CH, GB 

Apricot chlorotic leaf mottle agent

ABCLM0


Apricot Moorpark mottle agent

ABMMO0


Apricot pucker leaf agent

ABPL00


Aucuba mosaic 


EU, CH, GB 

Blackcurrant yellows


EU, CH, GB 

Cherry black canker agent

CRBC00


Cherry pink fruit agent

CRPF00

CA

Cherry rough fruit agent

CRRF00

CA

Cherry rusty spot agent

CRRS00


Cherry short stem agent

CRSS00

CA 

Cherry spur cherry agent

CRSC00

CA

Grapevine bushy stunt agent

GVBS00


Grapevine enation agent

GVE000

AR, CA, MX

Grapevine little leaf agent

GVLL00

US

Grapevine summer mottle agent

GVSM00


Peach enation virus

PEV000


Peach oil blotch disease

PCOB00


Peach seedling chlorosis disease

PCSC00


Peach star mosaic disease

PCSM00


Peach yellow mottle disease

PCYMO0


Pear bark split agent

PRBS00

EU, CH, GB

Pear freckle pit agent

PRFP00


Pear rough bark agent

PRRB00

EU, CA, CH, GB

Raspberry leaf curl virus

RLCV00

EPPO A1 + many countries

Raspberry yellow spot agent

RYS000

EU, CH, GB

Rose streak virus


EG

Rose wilt agent (synonym of rose stunt)

ROW000

Formerly EPPO list; EG, JO, MX, US, UZ

Strawberry latent C virus

STLCV0

EPPO A1 + many countries

Strawberry necrosis agent

SYN000

EU



Agents/diseases to be associated with confirmed pathogens

Agent/disease name

EPPO Code of the agent

Confirmed pathogen

Apple rubbery wood agent

ARW000

Rubodvirus mali

Rubodvirus prosserense

Apple flat limb agent

AFL000

Rubodvirus mali

Rubodvirus prosserense

Peach wart agent

PCW000

Trichovirus maculavii

Pear corky pit agent

PRCP00

Foveavirus mali

Wineberry latent virus

WLV000

Allexivirus epsilonrubi


Sources

Tzanetakis IE, et al. (2025) Streamlining global germplasm exchange: integrating scientific rigor and common sense to exclude phantom agents from regulation. Plant disease 109(4), 736-755. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-04-24-0745-FE