9th Meeting on EPPO Diagnostic Protocols for Regulated Pests (Fungi)

held jointly with the 13th Annual Meeting of European Mycological Network
Vienna, 2009-04-22/24

 

EPPO participated in the 13th meeting of the European Mycological Network (EMN) which took place in Vienna on 22-24 April 2009. The meeting was hosted by the Austrian Federal Office and Research Centre for Forests and the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety. There were 32 participants (representing 23 laboratories) from 17 countries. So far, 19 EPPO Standards on diagnostic protocols for fungi and 3 general standards have been published in series PM 7 (Diagnostic Protocols). The following new or revised protocols were studied during the meeting.

 

Guignardia citricarpa, Monilinia fructicola

Comments received during country consultation were reviewed. In particular, real-time PCR tests were added in each of these protocols, because they were considered to be the quickest and most sensitive tests for the identification of G. citricarpa and M. fructicola. Both revised protocols were considered ready for final approval.

 

Gremmeniella abietina

In 2007, this new protocol was considered ready to be presented to the Working Party for final approval, but due to the fact that the taxonomy of Gremmeniella was expected to undergo major changes (i.e. raising varieties to species level), the EPPO Secretariat had decided to postpone its approval. The EMN discussed this issue again but as no progress has been made on the revision of the Gremmeniella taxonomy, it considered that the protocol should be now presented for final approval.

 

Anisogramma anomala, Gibberella circinata, Melampsora medusae

Revised drafts of these three protocols were presented to the EMN which concluded that they should be sent for country consultation. It also agreed that these protocols could be presented for final approval if the EPPO Secretariat is able to address comments made during country consultation together with the authors to accelerate the procedure.

 

Alternaria gaisen and A. mali

In 2008, the EMN had agreed that the draft protocol needed further work and a proposal to organize a ring test was welcomed. But because the ring test could not be organized, discussion on this protocol is postponed to 2010.

 

The next meeting will take place in Ireland on 2010-04-20/22.