Official Pest Report
Official Pest Reports are provided by National Plant Protection Organizations within the NAPPO region. These Pest Reports are intended to comply with the International Plant Protection Convention's Standard on Pest Reporting, endorsed by the Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures in March 2002.
Ralstonia solanacearum Race 3 Biovar 2 is Not in Florida
Ralstonia solanacearum Race 3 Biovar 2 is Not in Florida
Country: United States
Title: Ralstonia solanacearum Race 3 Biovar 2 is Not in Florida
Contact:
Not available
Report:
Since PPQ initially identified what was thought to be Ralstonia solanacearum race 3 biovar 2 in geranium samples taken from a greenhouse and pond in Quincy, Florida, in September 2004, further testing by our scientists and collaborators in October have led to the conclusion that it is biovar 1. Therefore, it is not R. solanacearum race 3 biovar 2, listed in USDA's regulations implementing the Agricultural Bioterrorism Protection Act of 2002. Additional testing to determine race is in progress. Race 1 biovar 1 strains of the bacteria are typical in Florida, and have been reported since 1984. APHIS scientists retested cultures isolated from the Quincy establishment in 2002 and identified them as R. solanacearum biovar 1. We are not categorizing it as a quarantine pest. APHIS scientists are collaborating with leading Ralstonia researchers to learn more about the bacteria: to characterize its race, to improve diagnostics, and to devise additional practical disease management guidelines if they are necessary. In 2003 and 2004, R. solanacearum race 3 biovar 2 was detected in geraniums imported from Kenya and Guatemala. Independent tests confirmed our identification of race 3 biovar 2, without the biovar 1 results scientists obtained with the Quincy samples this year.
Posted Date: Nov. 3, 2004, 9 a.m.