Pest categorisation of Hishimonus phycitis

Jeger, Michael;Bragard, Claude;Caffier, David;Candresse, Thierry;MacLeod, Alan;et.al.
(2017) EFSA Journal — Vol. 15, n° 10, p. 1-26 (2017)

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Authors
  • Jeger, MichaelCentre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London
    Author
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  • Caffier, DavidHigh Council for biotechnology
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  • Candresse, ThierryInstitut National de la Recerche Agronomique (INRA). Plant virus Team
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  • MacLeod, AlanUniversity of Leeds
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Abstract
The Panel on Plant Health performed a pest categorisation of Hishimonus phycitis (Hemiptera:Cicadellidae) for the EU. H. phycitis is a well-defined species, occurring in tropical and subtropical Asian countries from Iran to Malaysia. H. phycitis is polyphagous. Hosts of particular relevance to the EU include Citrus spp. and Solanum melongena. While harmful in its own right as a leafhopper extracting host nutrients through feeding, it is regarded in the Middle East more significantly as a vector of Witches’ broom disease of lime phytoplasma, which limits production of Citrus aurantifolia, and in India as a vector of brinjal little-leaf phytoplasma impacting S. melongena yields. H. phycitis is currently regulated by Council Directive 2000/29/EC, listed in Annex II/AI as Hishomonus phycitis (sic). Eggs planted on host plants for planting could provide a pathway for entry into the EU. The EU has ecoclimatic conditions that are also found in countries where H. phycitis occurs although it is unknown whether H. phycitis occurs in those areas. There is therefore considerable uncertainty around EU establishment. Any establishment is likely to be limited to the warmest areas around the Mediterranean. As a free-living organism with adults capable of flight, spread within the EU would be possible but confined to the limited area where establishment could occur. Measures are available to inhibit entry via traded commodities (e.g. prohibition on the introduction of Citrus plants for planting; sourcing other hosts from pest free areas). H. phycitis does satisfy all of the criteria that are within the remit of EFSA to assess to be regarded as a Union quarantine pest. It is uncertain if eggs of H. phycitis would carry phytoplasmas into the EU as transovarial transmission from infected females to eggs has not been demonstrated.
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Citations

Jeger, M., Bragard, C., Caffier, D., Candresse, T., Chatzivassiliou, E., Dehnen‐Schmutz, K., Gilioli, G., Gregoire, J.-C., Jaques Miret, J. A., Navarro, M. N., Niere, B., Parnell, S., Potting, R., Rafoss, T., Rossi, V., Urek, G., Van Bruggen, A., Van der Werf, W., West, J., et al. (2017). Pest categorisation of Hishimonus phycitis. EFSA Journal, 15(10), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2017.5037 (Original work published 2017)