Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Plant Health (PLH) performed a quantitative analysis of the risk posed by the Flavescence dor ee phytoplasma (FDp) in the EU territory. Three scenarios were analysed, one with current measures in place (scenario A0), one designed to improve grapevine propagation material phytosanitary status (scenario A1) and one with reinforced eradication and containment (scenario A2). The potential for entry is limited, FDp being almost non-existent outside the EU. FDp and its major vector, Scaphoideus titanus, have already established over large parts of the EU and have the potential to establish in a large fraction of the currently unaffected EU territory. With the current measures in place (A0), spread of FDp is predicted to continue with a progression of between a few and ca 20 newly infested NUTS 2 regions during the next 10 years, illustrating the limitations of the current control measures against spread. FDp spread is predicted to be roughly similar between scenarios A1 and A2, but more restricted than under scenario A0. However, even with reinforced control scenarios, stabilisation or reduction in the number of infested NUTS 2 regions has only relatively low probability. Under scenario A0, FDp has a 0.5-1% impact on the overall EU grapes and wine production, reflecting the effectiveness of the current control measures against impact. Under both scenarios A1 and A2, FDp impact is predicted to be reduced, by approximately one-third (A1) to two-thirds (A2) as compared to A0, but the associated uncertainties are large. The generalised use of hot water treatment for planting material produced in infected zones has the most important contribution to FDp impact reduction in scenario A1 and has high feasibility. Both increased eradication and containment measures contribute to impact reduction under scenario A2 but the overall feasibility is lower. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and no modifications or adaptations are made.The EFSA Journal is a publication of the European Food Safety Authority, an agency of the European Union. SummaryFollowing a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Plant Health (PLH) performed an analysis of the risk to plant health posed by the Flavescence dor ee phytoplasma (FDp) in the European Union (EU) territory, with the evaluation of risk reduction options. The temporal scale of this assessment is a 10-year time horizon and three scenarios are analysed, one corresponding to the current situation, with all current official control measures in place (scenario A0) and two alternative scenarios, with either a reinforcement of the hot water treatment (HWT) control measure to improve the phytosanitary status of grapevine propagation material (scenario A1) or a reinforcement of eradication and containment measures (scenario A2).Concerning entry, the P...
The North American planthopper Metcalfa pruinosa (
Solanum carolinense is a serious weed from North America that has recently invaded crop fields in Austria and Italy. In this study, a climate suitability analysis using the CLIMEX model was carried out, to assess the potential distribution of S. carolinense in Central Europe, to identify areas at risk of an invasion and to derive an efficient management strategy. In North America, the plant currently occupies almost its full range of suitable climates. In contrast, S. carolinense occurs only rarely as a ruderal plant and weed in several countries of Central Europe. The projections of climatic suitability under current climate reveal considerable scope for further invasion. The land area climatically suitable for S. carolinense is highest in Hungary (100% of the total land area), Poland (83.6%), followed by Slovenia (70.5%), Slovakia (64.5%), Germany (41.5%), Czech Republic (37.0%), Austria (34.9%) and Switzerland (16.6%). Solanum carolinense has a high capacity for spatial dispersal by natural means and different human-mediated pathways. Thus, it is likely that the plant will expand its range and infest cultivated land, particularly around existing naturalised populations. A management strategy is warranted, including early detection and eradication of nascent foci of S. carolinense, to contain the plant to its current restricted distribution and to limit the chances for further spread of this invasive weed to other agricultural areas. The widespread occurrence of this species would have serious consequences for agriculture.
Neodryinus typhlocybae (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Dryinidae) is a natural enemy of the planthopper Metcalfa pruinosa (Say) (Hemiptera: Flatidae), introduced from North America into Europe and regionally established as a pest species. Prior to possible utilization of the parasitoid as a biocontrol agent in Austria, its potential negative impacts on eight native plant-and leaf-hopper species were examined in the laboratory. Non-target species were selected according to the following criteria (a) occurrence in Austria, (b) close phylogenetic relationship with M. pruinosa, (c) larvae free-living and surfacedwelling, (d) phenology, (e) larval size, (f) ecological similarity with M. pruinosa and (g) availability of sufficient numbers of individuals. The Auchenorrhyncha species Issus coleoptratus (Fabricius), Chloriona smaragdula (Stål), Conomelus anceps (Germar), Alebra wahlbergi (Boheman), Empoasca sp., Idiocerus stigmaticalis (Lewis), Macrosteles septemnotatus (Fallén) and Japananus hyalinus (Osborn) were chosen for testing. Larvae from both the target and the non-target species were offered separately to N. typhlocybae females in no-choice laboratory tests and all attacks, instances of host feeding and parasitizations were recorded. No nontarget species was attacked, fed upon or parasitized by N. typhlocybae, whereas M. pruinosa was attacked frequently. This study supports the assumption that the host range of N. typhlocybae is restricted to Flatidae, of which only the introduced species occurs in Austria. Direct negative effects on other Auchenorryncha species in Austria are therefore unlikely to occur.
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