Mainly for newly introduced plant pests in Germany, basic data on their occurrence are missing. The JKI coordinates these systematic surveys as follows:

• Our Institute prepares a monitoring plan for Germany and initiates its conduction.
• We give instructions on the diagnostics of the plant pest in the frame of our function as reference laboratory.
• The Plant Protection Services of the Federal States conduct the monitoring.
• The Institute evaluates the results throughout Germany and prepares the necessary reports for the EU-Commission.

The monitoring data are the basis for risk analyses and targeted precaution measures in Germany and the EU.

Our Institute has already performed reference laboratory functions for a long time. The main objective is to guarantee the quality and security in the diagnostics of new plant pests and quarantine pests. This serves for the comparability, acceptance and reliability of test results of different laboratories.

At the moment the following key functions can be specified:

• For the conduction of monitorings we suggest, e.g., the extent as well as the methods for sampling and detection. In exceptional cases where the diagnostic procedures are not yet harmonised, our Institute carries out the necessary laboratory testing centrally.
• We coordinate comparative laboratory trials. Samples which are infested to a defined degree with plant pests are forwarded to the official laboratories of the Federal States for diagnosis. As a result the competence of the laboratories can be evaluated and corrective actions may be initiated, if necessary.
• We enable the access to reference material and –reagents. For the conduction of the diagnosis, e.g., reference material of pests is required.
• We perform workshops on current phytosanitary diagnostic questions. Our target groups are heads and experts of the laboratories of the Federal States.