New data on quarantine pests and pests of the EPPO Alert List
By browsing through the literature, the EPPO Secretariat has extracted the following new data concerning quarantine pests and pests included on the EPPO Alert List. The situation of the pest concerned is indicated in bold, using the terms of ISPM no. 8.
- New records
The presence of Bois noir (Stolbur phytoplasma) is reported for the first time from Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was detected during surveys on grapevine yellows carried out in 2004/2005 in the major grapevine-growing regions (Mostar, Trebinje and Banjaluka) (Delić et al., 2006). Present, found in the major grapevine-growing regions (Mostar, Trebinje and Banjaluka).
Acizzia jamatonica (Homoptera, Psyllidae – formerly on the EPPO Alert List) was reported for the first time in Hungary in 2005. Damage was observed on Albizzia trees in Budapest (Rédei and Pénzes, 2006). Present, found in 2006 in Budapest.
Metcalfa pruinosa (Homoptera: Flatidae) is reported for the first time from Greece (Drosopoulos et al., 2004). The insect was found on olive and citrus in the Preveza area (Ipiros region) in June 2001 and 2002. Present, no detail.
Mycosphaerella fijiensis (causing Black Sigatoka of banana) is reported for the first time from Puerto Rico. In the Caribbean, M. fijiensis has now been reported from Bahamas, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica. In August 2004, symptoms of Black Sigatoka were first observed in Añasco (west of Puerto Rico), and samples were collected and tested. The presence of M. fijiensis was confirmed by PCR. The source of this infestation remains unknown. It is supposed that M. fijiensis may have been introduced with leaf material and/or wind dispersed ascospores from neighbouring countries (Irish et al., 2006). Present, no detail.
In the Caribbean, Scirtothrips dorsalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae – EPPO A1 list) was first found in 2003 on Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (Seal et al., 2006). Present, no detail.
- Detailed records
In the USA in the 1960s-early 1970s, Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens (EPPO A2 list) was causing a serious disease of dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) throughout the irrigated High Plains (Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming). But since then, the bacterium has no longer been observed. In August 2003, symptoms of bacterial wilt were noticed in 3 dry bean fields in Nebraska (Scotts Bluff County). In 2004, identical symptoms were observed in more than 40 fields in western Nebraska. Isolations were made from leaf and stem lesions, as well as from seeds, and the bacterium found was identified as C. flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens (Harveson et al., 2006).
Sources
Delić D, Martini M, Ermacora P, Carraro L, Myrta A (2006) First report of grapevine bois noir in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Journal of Plant Pathology 88(2), p 226.
Drosopoulos A, Broumas T, Kapothanassi V (2004) Metcalfa pruinosa (Hemiptera, Auchenorrhyncha: Flatidae) an undesirable new species in the insect fauna of Greece. Annals of the Benaki Phytopathological Institute (N.S.) 20(1), 49-51.
Harveson RM, Schwartz HF, Vidaver AK, Lambrecht PA, Otto KL (2006) New outbreaks of bacterial wilt of dry bean in Nebraska observed from field infections. Plant Disease 90(5), p 681.
Irish BM, Goenaga R, Ploetz RC (2006) Mycosphaerella fijiensis, causal agent of Black Sigatoka of Musa spp. found in Puerto Rico and identified by polymerase chain reaction. Plant Disease 90(5), p 684.
Rédei D, Pénzes (2006) First occurrence of Acizzia jamatonica (Kuwayama, 1908) (Sternorrhyncha: Psyllidae: Acizziinae) in Hungary. Növényvédelem 42(3), 153-157.
Seal DR, Ciomperlik M, Richards ML, Klassen W (2006) Comparative effectiveness of chemical insecticides against the chilli thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), on pepper and their compatibility with natural enemies. Crop Protection 25(9), 947-955.