Occurrence of Pantoea stewartii subsp. stewartii in Indonesia
During surveys in maize producing areas of Sulawesi Island in October and November 2024, suspected symptoms of P. stewartii subsp. stewartii, including leaf blight, vascular wilt and dwarfing, were observed on maize (Zea mays) plants in South Sulawesi province. The identity of the pest was confirmed by morphological and molecular testing. Sahlan et al. (2026) suggest that the pathogen may have entered Indonesia through trade of infested seed or with insect vectors. They note that Chaetocnema pulicaria (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), the insect vector of P. stewartii subsp. stewartii, is not known to occur in Indonesia and was not detected during the surveys.
The EPPO Secretariat had no previous record of P. stewartii subsp. stewartii in Indonesia. However, the authors mention that the NPPO of Indonesia first reported the presence of the pest in 2020. The Indonesian regulation of 2020 mentions that the pest occurs in the following part of Indonesia: Java, Nusa Tenggara Barat (Lombok), Sulawesi, Sumatra.
The situation of Pantoea stewartii subsp. stewartii in Indonesia can be described as: Present, not widely distributed, under official control.
Sources
Kementerian Pertanian Republik Indonesia, Peraturan Menteri Pertanian Republik Indonesia 619 Nomor 25 Tahun 2020 tentang jenis organisme pengganggu tumbuhan karantina [Regulation of 620 the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Indonesia No. 25/2020 concerning types of quarantine plant pests], https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/201266/permentan-no-25-tahun-2020,
Sahlan FK, Stevens AM, Kuswinanti T, Patandjengi B (2026) Occurrence and identification of Stewart's wilt pathogen (Pantoea stewartii subsp. stewartii) in maize from Sulawesi Island, Indonesia. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology 4, 103374.