EPPO Global Database

EPPO Reporting Service no. 05 - 2009 Num. article: 2009/093

Situation of Gibberella circinata in France


In France, Gibberella circinata (anamorph Fusarium circinatum – EPPO A1 List) had been detected once in 2005, in a private garden at Perpignan (Languedoc-Roussillon region, Southern France) on a small number of declining trees. In 2008, this outbreak was officially declared eradicated (see EPPO RS 2006/164 and 2008/108). The French NPPO recently carried out studies on conifer seeds imported from the USA and detected F. circinatum in 6 seed lots (see table below).

Species
Nb of lots
Origin
Year of import
Pinus taeda
2
Virginia (US)
2001 (harvested in 1993 and 1994)
Pseudostuga menziesii
1
Washington State (US)*
2004 (harvested in 2003)
Pinus ponderosa
1
New Mexico (US)*
2005
Pinus taeda
1
USA
2004
Pinus taeda
1
Virginia (US)
2008

* So far, G. circinata was reported as ‘Absent, unreliable record’ in Washington State and ‘Absent’ in New Mexico. USDA-APHIS has accordingly been informed of these detections, as well as the NPPOs of other countries to which seeds originating from the infested lots were subsequently re-exported from France.

All infected seed lots were destroyed and seedlings issued from these lots were traced back. A single outbreak of F. circinatum was identified by the French National Laboratory on 2008-05-28 on Pseudotsuga mensiezii in the Vosges department (North-eastern France). Seedlings were destroyed. A buffer zone of 1 km radius (314 ha) was demarcated around the infested site and will be submitted to intensive monitoring for at least 2 years to verify the absence of F. circinatum.
The pest status of Gibberella circinata in France is officially declared as: One outbreak detected in the Vosges department in 2008, under eradication.

Sources

NPPO of France, 2009-01.