Pest risk assessment made by France on Trachysphaera fructigena considered by France as harmful in French overseas departments of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion - Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Plant Health - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Rapport Année : 2008

Pest risk assessment made by France on Trachysphaera fructigena considered by France as harmful in French overseas departments of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion - Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Plant Health

David Makowski

Résumé

Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Plant Health was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on 30 pest risk assessments made by France on organisms which are considered by France as harmful in four French overseas departments, i.e. French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion. In particular, the Panel was asked whether these organisms can be considered as harmful organisms for the endangered area of the above departments, in the meaning of the definition mentioned in Article 2.1.(e) of Directive 2000/29/EC and thus potentially eligible for addition to the list of harmful organisms in Directive 2000/29/EC. This document presents the opinion of the Panel on Plant Health on the simplified[2] pest risk assessment conducted by France on Trachysphaera fructigena (Tabor & Bunting) with French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion considered as endangered area. Trachysphaera fructigena (Tabor and Bunting) is an oomycete, causing cigar-end rot of banana fruit. It was first described on coffee berries (Coffea liberica) and cocoa pods (Theobroma cacao) by Tabor and Bunting (1923). On banana, T. fructigena can attack green and ripening fruit causing a dry rot at the flower end that produces an ash grey wrinkled lesion, similar to the burnt end of a cigar. T. fructigena is present in West and Central African countries, and also in Madagascar (EPPO, 2005). It is not known to occur in the PRA area. The Panel examined in detail the risk assessment provided, and considered the accuracy and quality of the information provided and methods applied for pest risk assessment purposes. The review was based on the principles of the International Standard on Phytosanitary Measures ISPM No. 11[3]: Pest risk analysis for quarantine pests including analysis of environmental risks and living modified organisms (2004) by the International Plant Protection Convention (FAO, 2007b). After analysing the information provided in the simplified pest risk assessment made by France on T. fructigena, which is considered by France as potentially harmful to banana crops in Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion, and after considering published information on T. fructigena, the Panel concludes that: The pest risk assessment does not provide sufficient detailed information to justify its conclusions. The information provided was in the main accurate and precise, but many issues have not been dealt with detail, despite the availability of relevant information at the time of conducting the original assessment. As a consequence, statements in the pest risk assessment are not individually referenced or supported by verifiable scientific data. Under thecurrent regulations, the probability of entry of T. fructigena on banana fruit would be very low for the French overseas departments, due to import restrictions. Should the current regulations governing the imports of banana fruit be lifted, the Panel considers that the probability of entry of T. fructigena with trade of commercially-grown banana fruit would be low. Symptoms of T. fructigena on banana fruit are obvious; it is likely that infections are recognized and such fruit would be removed during existing management procedures. In consequence it is unlikely that spores of T. fructigena from imported fruit would get in contact with host plants and initiate an infection in the field. Advances in production methods and post harvest technologies of the last decades are not considered in the pest risk assessment and might explain why in recent years there have been no reports of T. fructigena in international trade. The probability of entry with banana fruit selected from back gardens or small plots with less management inputs would be only marginally higher. Individuals selecting fruit for a journey overseas would not take bananas and avocados with symptoms. The probability of entry through fruit carried by travellers would be very low for French Guiana, Guadeloupe and Martinique. Due to its proximity to Madagascar, where the disease is reported to occur, the probability of T. fructigena entering Réunion on fruit carried by travellers or locally traded would be higher. The probability of entry through coffee and cocoa trade would be very low. The Panel agrees in principle with the pest risk assessment that the potential for establishment would be moderate should T. fructigena gain entry to the French overseas departments. In particular in the rainiest geographical areas of Guadeloupe and Martinique, T. fructigena might have the potential to establish, since susceptible Cavendish bananas are abundant and many private plantations/gardens may constitute a source of inoculum. Other host plants are also reported as present, although with limited distribution. The Panel considers that the spread of the disease in well managed commercial plantations would be low, while in poorly managed smallholdings and private gardens would be higher. The spread of T. fructigena would probably be restricted to high rainfall areas. The pest risk assessment concludes that the economic impact of T. fructigena would be moderate, but this estimate is not supported by the limited information provided in the document. The Panel considers that the establishment of T. fructigena in commercial banana plantations in the Guadeloupe and Martinique is unlikely to cause economic losses any greater than those caused by existing pre- and post-harvest banana fruit diseases. Measures, such as the deflowering and bagging of banana bunches at an early stage, which are already systematically applied in the PRA area[4], are likely to give sufficient control of T. fructigena. However, it is possible that the establishment of T. fructigena in the PRA area may cause damage to fruit grown in poorly managed family gardens and smallholdings in high rainfall areas, if cultural control practices are not applied. The pest risk assessment estimates the degree of uncertainty as low to moderate. The Panel identified uncertainties related to the potential of entry, establishment and economic impact and considers the uncertainties as moderate. The Panel concludes that, on the basis of the information provided in the pest risk assessment and on additional literature consulted, T. fructigena is not appropriate for evaluation of pest risk management options, and thus not potentially eligible for addition to the list of harmful organisms of Directive 2000/29 EC.
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Dates et versions

hal-01173702 , version 1 (07-07-2015)

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : hal-01173702 , version 1
  • PRODINRA : 28992

Citer

R. Baker, D. Caffier, J.W. Choiseul, P. de Clercq, E. Dormannsne-Simon, et al.. Pest risk assessment made by France on Trachysphaera fructigena considered by France as harmful in French overseas departments of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion - Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Plant Health. [0] European Commission. 2008, 23 p. ⟨hal-01173702⟩
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