First reports and eradication of cowpea mild mottle virus in Germany
The NPPO of Germany recently informed the EPPO Secretariat of the recent findings of cowpea mild mottle virus (Carlavirus, CPMMV – EU Annexes) on its territory.
In December 2022, the Dutch NPPO detected for the first time cowpea mild mottle virus in 1112 potted plants of Hibiscus syriacus during a post-entry inspection. The plants had been imported from Israel in March 2022 and were prepared for the final consumers. The NPPO of Germany was informed by the Dutch NPPO as part of trace-forward activities in January 2023.
- In September 2022, three plants of this lot were delivered to a nursery in Bavaria, Germany. The three Hibiscus plants were stored outdoors in the nursery. Symptoms were not visible as the plants had no foliage at that period. The samples were tested by the official Bavarian laboratory and CPMMV was identified. The 3 plants were cut in small pieces and destroyed by incineration. The competent authority in Bavaria considers the outbreak eradicated.
- In October 2022, one H. syriacus plant was delivered to a nursery in Niedersachsen, Germany and kept in an exhibition greenhouse where no other host plants were grown. The plant was sampled in March 2023 and tested positive for CPMMV. The plant will be incinerated.
It may be noted that Hibiscus syriacus was not previously recorded as a host of CPMMV, and that no other hosts have been recorded so far in the Malvaceae family.
The pest status of cowpea mild mottle virus in Germany is officially declared as: Absent, pest eradicated.
Sources
NPPO of Germany (2022-04).
EPPO (2023) Cowpea mild mottle virus. EPPO datasheets on pests recommended for regulation. https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/CPMMV0/datasheet