Recommendations to policy makers from Euphresco projects
The following research project has recently been carried out in the framework of Euphresco (network for phytosanitary research coordination and funding - hosted by EPPO). A report presenting the main objectives and results of this project, as well as recommendations made to policy makers can be viewed on the Internet.
The biology and epidemiology of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ and potato phytoplasmas and their contribution to risk management in potato and other crops (PhyLib II)
The project had several goals, including the improvement of knowledge on the epidemiology and the risks associated with ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ and potato phytoplasma species, as well as on the validation of diagnostic tests. Surveillance activities conducted during the project allowed knowledge to be gathered on the presence of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ and potato phytoplasmas in the partner countries (long-term presence vs recent outbreaks), and on the pathogens’ genetic diversity and epidemiology. The project has shown that the genetic diversity of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ present in wild plants, crops and insects is much wider than previously known. ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ was found in several new psyllid species and their impact on agriculture needs to be better understood. The transmission of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ and potato phytoplasmas from seed to seedlings was studied, but it was concluded that more research is needed in this area. Several methods for the extraction of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ from different matrices and for its diagnosis were evaluated. CTAB and NucleoMag Plant Kit with Macherey-NagelTM buffer are recommended for DNA extraction from plant matrices. The real-time PCR from Li et al., 2009 proved to be the most robust and sensitive test for the diagnosis of the bacterium.
Authors: Sumner-Kalkun, Jason; Jeffries, Colin; Gottsberger, Richard; Lethmayer, Christa; De Jonghe, Kris; Li, Sean; Lasner, Helena; Loiseau, Marianne; Nissinen, Anne; Ilardi, Vincenza; Tiou-Tam-Sin, Napoleon; Schneyder, Yury; Cermak, Vaclav; Le Roux, Anne-Claire; Bertaccini, Assunta; Karahan, Aynur; de le Rosa, Felipe Siverio; Dreo, Tanja; Lehtonen, Mikko; Pirhonen, Minna.
Duration of the project: 2016-04-01 to 2019-09-30.
Link: https://zenodo.org/record/3819420#.Xrg9uGgzbIU
Sources
Euphresco (2020-05). https://www.euphresco.net/projects/ |