Isolated finding of Diaporthe vaccinii in the Netherlands
The NPPO of the Netherlands recently informed the EPPO Secretariat of the first finding of Diaporthe vaccinii (anamorph: Phomopsis vaccinii - EPPO A1 List) on a single plant of Vaccinium corymbosum. During a routine survey carried out in 2006 on Vaccinium crops, symptoms were observed on the twigs of one plant in a company producing blueberry fruits (located in Horst, province of Limburg). The fungus was identified as Phomopsis sp. in 2006, and the identification of the pathogen as D. vaccinii could only be ascertained in 2007. The NPPO of the Netherlands considers that D. vaccinii is no longer present as the infected plant was destroyed, but surveys are being carried out at blueberry production facilities to confirm the absence of this fungus.
The pest status of Diaporthe vaccinii in the Netherlands is officially declared as: Absent, only one isolated finding.
Sources
NPPO of the Netherlands, 2009-07.
INTERNET (last retrieved in 2009-07)
Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. Pest Report. http://www.minlnv.nl/cdlpub/servlet/CDLServlet?p_file_id=38469