New data on quarantine pests and pests of the EPPO Alert List
By searching through the literature, the EPPO Secretariat has extracted the following new data concerning quarantine pests and pests included (or formerly included) on the EPPO Alert List, and indicated in bold the situation of the pest concerned using the terms of ISPM 8.
- New records
Amrasca biguttula (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), the Indian cotton jassid is first reported from Barbados. It was detected in February 2024 on okra (Abelmoschus esculentus), sorrel (Hibiscus sabdariffa) and cotton (Gossypium spp.) (IPPC, 2024). This is the second report in the Caribbean after Puerto Rico (EPPO RS 2024/036).
The pest status of Amrasca biguttula in Barbados is officially declared as: Present: not widely distributed and not under official control.
Bactrocera carambolae (Diptera: Tephritidae – EPPO A1 List) was found in Guyana in fruit of Averrhoa bilimbi, Malpighia emarginata, and Psidium guajava during a survey in 2022 in the region of Lethem. The EPPO Secretariat had no other records of this fruit fly species in Guyana since its successful eradication in 2001 (EPPO RS 2002/007). However, the article mentions that the species has been present there since 2007 (Costa et al., 2024).
Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae – EPPO A2 List) is reported for the first time from South Africa. It was detected in October 2023 in blueberry production (Vaccinium spp.) in the KouKamma municipality in the Eastern Cape Province. Further surveys detected the pest in Overberg municipality in the Western Cape Province in November 2023, and in the Mopani municipality in the Limpopo Province and in the uMgungundlovu municipality in Kwa-Zulu Natal Province in January and February 2024 respectively. Surveys are conducted in other parts of the country where host plants are produced, and phytosanitary measures are implemented to prevent further spread (IPPC, 2024).
The pest status of Drosophila suzukii in South Africa is officially declared as: Present: not widely distributed and under official control.
In Honduras, a survey was conducted in 2020-2021 to identify the species of thrips present in some crops and associated weeds. Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae, EPPO A2 List) was the dominant species on sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum), and Microcephalothrips abdominalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae, formerly EPPO Alert List) was found on the weed Melampodium divaricatum (Gómez-Santos et al., 2024).
In Bangladesh, surveys were conducted in 2021-2023 to identify thrips species in 16 regions on various host plants. In total 19 thrips species were identified by DNA barcoding, including 10 species that had not been previously reported in Bangladesh such as Scirtothrips dorsalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae – EPPO A2 List), Microcephalothrips abdominalis (formerly EPPO Alert List), and Thrips parvispinus (Thysanoptera: Thripidae – formerly EPPO Alert List) (Khatun et al., 2024).
- Detailed records
In Canada, Agrilus planipennis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae – EPPO A2 List) was found for the first time in British Columbia in early 2024, in the City of Vancouver. Phytosanitary measures including surveys and restrictions on the movements of ash material (e.g. logs, branches, woodchips) and firewood have been put into place from April 2024 to prevent any further spread. Surveys are conducted to determine where A. planipennis occurs in British Colombia (CFIA, 2024).
In Panama, ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (associated with huanglongbing – EPPO A1 List) was first detected in 2016 (EPPO RS 2017/117). The results of recent detection and delimitation surveys determined that the disease has spread within the province of Bocas del Toro, from Las Tablas and Guabito to the municipality of Punta de Peña, 119 km away (IPPC, 2024).
The pest status of citrus Huanglongbing in Panama is officially declared as: Present in the province of Bocas del Toro, under official control, confirmed by surveys.
In the USA, the nematode Meloidogyne graminicola (EPPO A2 List) was known to occur in the South-Eastern states. It was identified in Indiana during surveys conducted in 2021-2022 in bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) golf greens (McCurdy et al., 2024).
Thrips parvispinus (Thysanoptera: Thripidae – formerly EPPO Alert List) carries on spreading in India. In early 2024 it was first reported from West Bengal, causing damage on chilli crops (Capsicum annuum) (Chatterjee et al., 2024).
- Denied record
The presence of Phytophthora alni subsp. alni (formerly EPPO Alert List, EAEU A1 List) in Belarus had been reported during scientific studies (EPPO RS 2024/049). However, the NPPO of Belarus recently informed the EPPO Secretariat that this quarantine pest has not been detected during official surveys. It is planned to perform additional surveys in 2024. The NPPO of Belarus considers that Phytophthora alni subsp. alni is absent from its territory (NPPO of Belarus, 2024).
Sources
CFIA (2024-05-02) Emerald ash borer confirmed in Vancouver. https://www.canada.ca/en/food-inspection-agency/news/2024/05/emerald-ash-borer-confirmed-in-vancouver-british-columbia.html
Chatterjee M, Biswas A, Chakraborty D, Patra B, Sahoo SK (2024) First report of invasive thrips, Thrips parvispinus (Karny)(Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in chilli from Alipurduar District of West Bengal, India. Journal of Scientific Research and Reports 30(5), 618-624. https://doi.org/10.9734/jsrr/2024/v30i51980
Costa JV, de Aguiar Paes JL, Souza LA, Peters P, McWatt PM, van Sauers Muller A, de Sousa MD, Adaime R (2024) New records of host plants of Bactrocera carambolae Drew & Hancock, 1994 (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Cooperative Republic of Guyana. EntomoBrasilis 17, e1048. https://doi.org/10.12741/ebrasilis.v17.e1048
Gómez-Santos AA, Orozco J, Valdespino RA (2024) Trips (Insecta: Thysanoptera) asociados a cebolla, lechuga, chile dulce y malezas asociadas en El Zamorano, Honduras. Ciencia y Tecnología Agropecuaria 25(1), e3447. https://doi.org/10.21930/rcta.vol25_num1_art
Khatun MF, Hwang HS, Kang JH, Lee KY, Kil EJ (2024) Genetic diversity and DNA barcoding of thrips in Bangladesh. Insects 15(2), 107. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15020107
IPPC website. Official Pest Reports – South Africa (ZAF-58/2 of 2024/03/28) Notification on the detection of Drosophila suzukii, the Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) in the Republic of South Africa. https://www.ippc.int/fr/countries/south-africa/pestreports/2024/05/notification-of-the-detection-of-drosophila-suzukii-the-spotted-wing-drosophila-swd-in-the-republic-of-south-africa/
IPPC website. Official Pest Reports – Barbados (BRB-10/1 of 2024/03/28) First report of presence of Indian cotton leafhopper (Amrasca biguttula) https://www.ippc.int/fr/countries/barbados/pestreports/2024/03/first-report-of-presence-of-indian-cotton-leafhopper-amrasca-biguttula/
IPPC website. Official Pest Reports – Panama (PAN-03/9 of 2024-03-13) Presence of Citrus HLB. https://www.ippc.int/fr/countries/panama/pestreports/2017/08/presencia-de-hlb-de-los-citricos-presence-of-citrus-hlb/
McCurdy AL, Barizon J, Miller GL (2024) Depth distribution of plant-parasitic nematodes on bentgrass golf greens in Missouri and Indiana. Journal of Nematology 56(1), 471-480. https://doi.org/10.2478/jofnem-2024-0006
NPPO of Belarus (2024-05).