The two quarantine pests Synchytrium endobioticum, the causal agent of potato wart disease and Globodera rostochiensis, the yellow potato cyst nematode are currently present in Germany. Winter sporangia of Synchytrium endobioticum and cysts of Globodera rostochiensis can be spread with waste from potato processing industries, if infected tubers are processed. The German Biowaste Ordinance prescribes sanitation of organic waste before it can be used on arable land as fertilizer or filling material. Sanitation parameters prescribed by the German Biowaste Ordinance include composting for 7 days at 65°C or 14 days at 55°C or pasteurisation for 60 min at 70°C. The effect of composting and pasteurisation processes on winter sporangia of Synchytrium endobioticum and cysts of Globodera rostochiensis was tested with varying timetemperature relations. Cysts of Globodera rostochiensis were killed by composting for 7 days at 50-55°C and by pasteurisation for 30 min at 70°C. In contrast, viable winter sporangia of Synchytrium endobioticum could be extracted from sample material after composting for 70 days at 30-45°C, composting for 21 days at 50-55°C and after composting for 12 days at 60-65°C. Likewise viable winter sporangia could be extracted after pasteurisation for 90 min at 70°C and heating in a water bath at 80°C and in a dry oven at 90°C for 8 h. The parameters prescribed in the German Biowaste Ordinance are sufficient to kill cysts of Globodera rostochiensis but not sufficient to kill winter sporangia of Synchytrium endobioticum in organic waste.
Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) is a polyphagous plant pest organism causing serious damage on more than 300 fruit types. Although the medfly is present in Europe, it is so far not established in Germany. In the years 2015–2017, an official survey was conducted by the German Federal Plant Protection Organisations to elucidate the current occurrence of this organism in Germany. While in 2015 only small numbers of flies were captured in traps situated in all German Federal States, a peak of 188 specimens could be trapped in 2016 with a decline to 29 specimens in 2017. Highest abundance of the fruit fly was detected in Southern Germany and at a single spot east of Berlin. The present study aimed to identify the origin of the trapped fruit flies and to assess the general potential of the species for overwintering in Germany. Using two approaches with cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI), Sanger barcoding sequencing first and subsequent analysis of ten small simple repeat microsatellite loci from literature, the worldwide spread of C. capitata describing three phases could be retraced by analysing samples from Germany and 11 other countries. German and French populations were found to build the most recent stage of this species distribution. Specimens trapped in Germany obviously resulted from different introduction events. They most strongly resembled populations from France and Croatia but were not identical to these populations. We found strong evidence that specimens captured between 2016 and 2017 could not overwinter in Germany.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.