Search

The evaluation of infection caused by different fungi species of highbush blueberry plants grown on selected commercial plantations located in central Poland. In the years 2017–2018, research was carried out on the occurrence of fungal diseases on four plantations of highbush blueberry plants located in central Poland. The aim of the research was to isolate and identify pathogens from diseased parts of plants of highbush blueberry. Four fungi species were identified based on traditional methods with mycological keys – visible symptoms were present on infected parts of the plants and the morphology structure. On all of the tested plantations, symptoms of Botrytis cinerea, Godronia cassandrae and Phomopsis vaccinii were observed. The Valdensia heterodoxa like symptoms were observed too, but only once. The second part of the research was an evaluation of the effectiveness of seven fungicides in control of grey mould disease of highbush blueberry. The research was conducted using both pesticides commonly recommended for the protection of highbush blueberry plantations against grey mould disease as well as fungicides permitted for use on other berry plants (strawberry and raspberry). The fungicides Luna Experience 400 SC and Prolectus 50 WG can be considered as an addition to the list of pesticides recommended for the control of grey mould disease.

Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Plant Health (PLH) Panel performed a risk assessment for Atropellis spp. in the EU focusing on the risk of entry, the host range and the potential impacts. Atropellis is a fungal pathogen of several Pinus spp. in North America. The pathogen has not been reported from Europe and is a quarantine pest regulated in Annex IIAI of Council Directive 2000/29/EC on plants (other than fruit and seeds), isolated bark and wood of Pinus. The main pathways of entry considered were Pinus plants, wood and isolated bark. Given the ban of importing Pinus plants from outside Europe into the EU and the lack of information on EU imports of isolated Pinus bark, only the wood pathway was assessed quantitatively. The conclusion of the assessment of entry for scenario A0 (current regulatory situation) is that the risk of entry of Atropellis spp. is close to zero. This conclusion is expected to apply also in the case of removing the specific Atropellis regulations, because of the remaining generic Pinus requirements, as well as in a scenario with additional risk reduction options. The uncertainty associated with this assessment is relatively limited, given that all the quartiles of the estimated distribution of the number of potential founder populations are close to zero. For the North American Pinus spp. known to be susceptible and widely planted in the EU (mainly P. contorta and P. strobus), the damage observed in North America (loss of wood quality, stem deformations, mortality in young stands, environmental consequences) is expected in the EU to a similar (or higher) degree, should the pathogen be introduced. Similar impacts are expected on the European Pinus spp. known to be host of Atropellis spp. These include widespread and locally abundant species such as P. nigra, P. sylvestris and P. pinaster. There are, however, large uncertainties associated with this impact assessment due to the unknown susceptibility of several other Pinus spp. present in Europe. There is a need for research on the susceptibility to Atropellis spp. of those European Pinus spp.

International trade in live plant materials has increased worldwide over the last four decades. This has led to a dramatic increase in the introduction, establishment and spread of non-native plant pathogens. Regulatory authorities need advice on measures that may mitigate these adverse consequences of trade. Risk models may be used to underpin such advice. In this review, we give a systematic overview of the data needed for a quantitative risk model for Phomopsis vaccinii, which causes stem and fruit infections on Vaccinium species, and sometimes death, potentially also on native wild Vaccinium species in the EU. P. vaccinii is a quarantine organism worldwide, except for North America, where it is endemic. Despite extensive knowledge of the aetiology of the diseases caused by this pathogen and its taxonomy, quantitative data on transportation and detection of infected plants for planting and berries are scarce, and quantitative assessment of the future introduction, establishment and spread of P. vaccinii is difficult. Estimation of the potential impact of this pathogen in production fields and wild Vaccinium stands is even more difficult. P. vaccinii is not unique in this respect, and this review indicates the need for more and better quantitative data for assessment of the risks posed by newly introduced plant pathogens in areas where they are not endemic.

Twig and blossom blight, and stem dieback, has become an impediment to highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) production in British Columbia. Periodic assessment of disease symptoms and patho...

As requested by the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Plant Health (PLH) Panel assessed the risk of Diaporthe vaccinii in the EU, focusing on entry, establishment, spread and impacts on cultivated and wild Vaccinium species, the principal hosts being American and European cranberry and blueberry. Several outbreaks occurred in the EU since 1956, but most were eradicated except in Latvia. The Panel considered entry via fruits and plants for planting. The risk of establishment from discarded infected berries is much lower than from infected plants for planting, of which, potted plants and cuttings pose the greatest risk, while plug plants, derived from tissue culture and grown in pest free structures, pose a low risk. Nine per cent of the EU is highly suitable for establishment of the pathogen, mostly in the SE and NE. Following establishment, the pathogen could spread naturally over short range, and by human assistance over long range. Calculations with an integrated model for entry, establishment and spread, indicate that with current regulations, over a period of 5 years, a few hundred cultivated Vaccinium plants and several thousand Vaccinium plants in natural ecosystems would contract the disease. The associated loss of commercial production is small, less than one tonne of berries per year. On natural vegetation, the median impact after 5 years was estimated to be negligible affecting a negligible proportion of the natural Vaccinium population (2 x 10 8). However, the uncertainty of this estimate was high, due to uncertainty about the rate of spread; in a worst-case scenario (99th percentile), almost 1% of plants in natural areas would become infected. Complete deregulation (scenario A1) was predicted to increase the impact substantially, especially in natural areas, while additional measures (scenario A2) would effectively eliminate the entry of infected plants for planting, further reducing the impacts below the current situation.

Upright dieback, caused by Phomopsis vaccinii Shear (teleomorph Diaporthe vaccinii Shear), is an economically important disease that could threaten blueberry and cranberry production. Diagnosis of the disease by traditional phytopathological methods is difficult. We report the successful detection of P. vaccinii by direct tissue blot immunoassay (DTBIA) and plate-trapped antigen enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (PTA-ELISA). The infected samples obtained from Lithuania are the findings reported on the fungus in Europe.