Institut für nationale und internationale Angelegenheiten der Pflanzengesundheit
Bursaphelenchus xylophilus has been presumably introduced from North-America into Asia via contaminated wood in the early 20th century. So far, B. xylophilus has a limited distribution in Europe, with some outbreaks in Spain and a restricted distribution in Portugal. Surveillance of pine stands and inspection of imported wood, bark and wood packaging material is important to prevent introduction and further spread. Diagnostic protocols are available from IPPC (ISPM 27, Annex 10) and EPPO (PM 7/4). Both protocols recommend an incubation step as part of the testing procedure. During this step, the wood samples are incubated at approximately 25°C for at least 14 days (the IPPC protocol specifies an incubation period of two to three weeks) to allow any nematodes present to multiply and maximise the probability of detection. A long duration of incubation period causes difficulties as the consignment must be kept under official supervision until the result of the analysis is available. In the current revision of the EPPO Diagnostic Protocol incubation is mandatory, whereas in the IPPC Protocol it is only recommended. The EPPO Panel on Diagnostics in Nematology discussed whether incubation should remain mandatory in the EPPO protocol or whether it should only be recommended for some specific cases. It was noted that there are no published data on the impact of incubation on the detection of B. xylophilus. The aim of the project is to investigate the effect of incubation on the detection of B. xylophilus, especially at low levels of infestation in dry wood such as wood packaging material.
Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
