August 30, 2004
From: ProMED-mail<promed@promedmail.org>
Source: European Plant Protection Organization (EPPO), Reporting Service, 2004 No. 6 [edited]

2004/083
New data on quarantine pests and pests of the Alert List of the European Plant Protection Organization

By browsing through the literature, the EPPO Secretariat has extracted the following new data concerning quarantine pests and pests included on the EPPO Alert List. The situation of the pest concerned is indicated in bold, using the terms of ISPM no. 8.

New geographical records

_Clavibacter michiganensis_ subsp. _michiganensis_ (EPPO A2 list) was isolated in 2002 from 2 asymptomatic lots of tomato seeds produced on Java. This is the 1st report of bacterial canker of tomato in Indonesia (Anwar et
al., 2004). Present, 1st found in 2002 in Java.

Black sigatoka of banana caused by _Mycosphaerella fijiensis_ is reported for the 1st time from the Bahamas. The disease was observed in February 2004 on 2 isolated sites on Grand Bahama island (Ploetz, 2004). Present,
1st found in 2003 on Grand Bahama island.

Detailed records

Results of field surveys in Lebanon (Bekaa valley) showed that showed that Potato virus Y was the most prevalent virus (found in 98.8 percent of the virus-infected samples), followed by Potato virus A, Potato virus X and Potato leafroll virus. The presence of the necrotic PVY strain was also detected. The fungi _Thanatephorus cucumeris_, _Verticillium dahliae_, _Fusarium_ sp. and _Sclerotinia sclerotiorum_, and the bacterium _Erwinia carotovora_, were the main pathogens found.

Symptoms resembling those of Plum pox potyvirus (PPV - EPPO A2 list) have repeatedly been observed in plum orchards located in the vicinity of Berlin, Germany. In 2000, leaf samples were collected from 4 plum orchards and tested (serological and molecular assays). PPV was detected in 13/25 (52 percent) of all tested symptomatic samples. Only PPV-D was detected. Further studies on a larger number of samples for an accurate evaluation of
the occurrence of PPV different strains (Rebenstorf & Buttner, 2004).

New host plants

The leguminous weed _Macroptilium lathyroides_ is a host plant for Bean golden yellow mosaic begomovirus (EPPO A1 list; Bracero et al., 2003).

In Cuba, Tomato yellow leaf curl begomovirus (EPPO A2 list) was found infecting squash (_Cucurbita pepo_). Affected plants showed leaf curling and light yellowing (Martinez Zubiaur et al., 2004).

In Spain, several weeds were found naturally infected by Tomato chlorosis (ToCV) and Tomato infectious chlorosis criniviruses (TICV - both on the EPPO Alert List). ToCV was detected in _Solanum nigrum_, and TICV was detected in _Chenopodium album_ and _C. murale_ (Font, et al., 2004).

Sources

Anwar, A.; van der Zouwen, P.S.; Ilyas, S.; van der Wolf, J.M. (2004)
Bacterial canker (Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis) of tomato in commercial seed produced in Indonesia. Plant Disease, 88(6), p 680.

Bobev, S.G.; Baeyen, S.; Crepel, C.; Maes, M. (2004)
First report of fire blight caused by Erwinia amylovora on Pyracantha coccinea in Bulgaria. Plant Disease, 88(4), p 427.

Bracero, V.; Rivera, L.I.; Beaver, J.S. (2003)
DNA analysis confirms Macroptilium lathyroides as alternative host of Bean golden yellow mosaic virus. Plant Disease, 87(9), 1022-1025.

Choueiri, E.; El-Zammar, S.; Jreijiri, F.; Mnayer, D.; Massaad, R.; Saad, A. T.; Hanna, L.; Varveri, C. (2004) Phytosanitary status of potato in the Bekaa valley in Lebanon. Bulletin OEPP/EPPO Bulletin, 34(1), 117-212.

Font, I.M.; Juarez, M.; Martinez, O.; Jorda, C.; (2004) Current status and newly discovered hosts of Tomato infectious chlorosis virus and Tomato chlorosis virus in Spain. Plant Disease, 88(1), p 82.

Martinez Zubiaur, Y.; Fonseca, D.; Quinones, M.; Palenzuela, I. (2004)
Presence of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus infecting squash (Cucurbita pepo) in Cuba. Plant Disease, 88(5), p 572.

Ploetz, R.C. (2004)
First report of Black Sigatoka of banana caused by Mycospherella fijiensis on Grand Bahama Island. Plant Disease, 88(7), p 772.

Rebenstorf, K.; Buttner, C. (2004)
[A short investigation of the distribution of Sharka virus in plum orchards in the periurban area of Berlin.]. Gesunde Pflanzen, 56(1), 27-31.

INTERNET
Junta Nacional de la Granja (JUNAGRA), Ministerio de Ganaderia, Agricultura y Pesca (MGAP) - Problemas Sanitarios. Principales problemas sanitarios de algunas hortalizas del Uruguay. <http://www.mgap.gub.uy/Junagra/ElSector/sanidad.htm>

NAPPO Pest Alert. News Stories (2004-03-08).

[Two of the reports in this posting are of significance. Detection of _Clavibacter michiganensis_ subsp. _michiganensis_ [Cmm] in asymptomatic lots of tomato seeds from Java points to the use of contaminated seed or that seedlings became infected with the bacterium. The only practical measure is to use pathogen-free seed.

The 2nd item concerns squash plants infected by Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) as a source of virus inoculum for tomato crops. _Bemisia tabaci_ [Bt] is an efficient vector of TYLCV; susceptible host plants, such
as squash, can serve as virus reservoirs. TYLCV acquired during a short period of time by 1-2 day-old Bt adults remain associated with the insect for several weeks and were detectable for the life of the insect. Although
infectivity decreased with age, Bt was able to infect test plants for more  than 4 weeks.
 
A useful reference: <http://ag.arizona.edu/crops/cotton/insects/wf/abstracts/usdabstr00/usdabst00B.html>
-Mod.DH]