Pest risk assessment made by France on Sphaeropsis tumefaciens Hedges considered by France as harmful in French overseas departments of French Guiana, Guadeloupe and Martinique - 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 Sphaeropsis tumefaciens Hedges considered by France as harmful in French overseas departments of French Guiana, Guadeloupe and Martinique - 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[1] pest risk assessment conducted by France on Sphaeropsis tumefaciens Hedges with French Guiana, Guadeloupe and Martinique considered as endangered area. The Sphaeropsis knot is a disease caused by the fungus S. tumefaciens Hedges. The pathogen infects woody shrubs and trees including Citrus spp., avocado (Persea americana Mill.), and several ornamental species like holly (Ilex spp.), Callistemon spp., rose bay (Nerium oleander) and Brazilian peppertree (Schinus terebinthifolius). The disease has been reported in Cameroon, Ceylon, Cuba, Egypt, Guyana, Indonesia, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Puerto Rico, USA (Florida) and Venezuela. The disease produces galls on stems, branches, and trunks. These so-called knots may occur in large numbers and severe infection leads to death of the tree. A gall may form up to 40 shoots, from multiple bud formation, often themselves bearing galls (witches’ broom effect). These abnormal shoots eventually die. 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[2]: Pest risk analysis for quarantine pests including analysis of environmental risks and living modified organisms (2004) by the International Plant Protection Convention (FAO, 2007). The Panel considers that in the French document the climatic conditions in the PRA area[3] and the economical aspects following establishment of S. tumefaciens could have been better analysed to support the conclusions. Based on the French document and on additional references, the Panel agrees that the probability of entry is moderate. The main pathway would be the importation of infected plants and grafting material. The Panel agrees with the French document that the pest can establish within the PRA area and considers that the disease can be spread by pruning tools, rain splash, cuttings taken from diseased plants and transfer of infected plants from nurseries to fields and gardens. The economic impact is rated as low to moderate in the French document. High direct impacts of the disease were reported in a few exceptional cases, when young nursery plants were placed under old affected trees with knots, but the reported impact was low in well-managed situations. The Panel is of the opinion that the economic consequences would be low for the PRA area if correct cultivation techniques are adopted in fields and nurseries. Uncertainties remain on (1) the current geographic distribution of the disease due to possible confusion with symptoms caused by mutations, woody galls or unknown agents, (2) the role of conidia in the epidemiology of the disease, as there is lack of information in the scientific literature, (3) additional cost of control, and (4) the potential environmental impact should the pathogen establish in the PRA area. The Panel concludes that S. tumefaciens is not considered appropriate for evaluation of pest risk management options for the French overseas departments of French Guiana, Guadeloupe and Martinique, and thus, S. tumefaciens is not considered potentially eligible for addition to the list of harmful organisms in Directive 2000/29/EC
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Dates et versions

hal-01173706 , version 1 (07-07-2015)

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : hal-01173706 , version 1
  • PRODINRA : 29503

Citer

R. Baker, D. Caffier, J.W. Choiseul, P. de Clercq, E. Dormannsne-Simon, et al.. Pest risk assessment made by France on Sphaeropsis tumefaciens Hedges considered by France as harmful in French overseas departments of French Guiana, Guadeloupe and Martinique - Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Plant Health. [0] European Commission. 2008, 16 p. ⟨hal-01173706⟩
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