Welcome to the 4th edition of the VIRTIGATION project newsletter!
In this summer edition, we provide you with a comprehensive update on our recent activities and scientific publications, as the VIRTIGATION project has reaches the mid-term mark of its 4-year duration.
Moreover, we bring you our latest blog and social media series on the different areas surrounding our project topic of emerging viral diseases affecting tomato and cucurbit crops, and present the newly established VIRTIGATION Advisory Board.
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What’s new in VIRTIGATION?
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EU Commission amends ToBRFV Implementing Regulation
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On 26 May 2023, the EU Commission published an important amendment of the Implementing Regulation, which establishes measures to prevent the introduction into and the spread within the Union territory of Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV). The amended ToBRFV Implementing Regulation, now known as Regulation (EU) 2023/1032, shall apply from 1 September 2023 until 31 December 2024, according to the EU executive.
While ToBRFV is currently not listed as a Union quarantine pest, nor as a regulated non-quarantine pest, the EU Commission justifies this decision with the fact that ToBRFV would still meet the criteria for a pest which provisionally qualifies as a Union quarantine pest requiring temporary control measures.
The EU Commission further adds that more recent scientific information on the spread of ToBRFV and its detection methods has now been collected, and the audits carried out by the Commission services provided information on the implementation of the provisions and on their impact on protection against the spread of the disease. This would justify the need to amend the Implementing Regulation with more detailed measures than those previously provided.
The new EU act stresses that if any person within the Union territory suspects or is aware of the presence of ToBRFV, they must immediately notify the compentent plant health authority of each Member State. Furthermore, if the presence of ToBRFV in the territory of a Member State is officially confirmed, the competent authority will establish a demarcated area to guarantee the eradication of ToBRFV and prevent its spread to the rest of the territory.
Finally, the amended ToBRFV Implementing Regulation highlights the main measures to be taken to control ToBRFV in the EU, which includes ithe immediate removal and destruction of plants, both in seedbeds and in cultivation, on transport and on seeds. Moreover, Member States should conduct annual surveys for the presence of ToBRFV in their territory.
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More info on the EU Commission’s ToBRFV decision on EUR-Lex
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Plant science publication corner
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VIRTIGATION researchers have released 6 new scientific publications in the last months:
1) “Can Macrolophus pygmaeus (Hemiptera: Miridae) Mitigate the Damage Caused to Plants by Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)?”, authored by VIRTIGATION scientists Alessia Farina, Carmelo Rapisarda, Pompeo Suma and Giuseppe Cocuzza from the University of Catania – read our blog and the full publication in the Insects journal
2) “Begomoviruses: what is the secret(s) of their success?”, authored by VIRTIGATION scientists Jesús Navas-Castillo and Elvira Fiallo-Olivé from CSIC – read our blog and the full publication in the Trends in Plant Science journal
3) “Solanum elaeagnifolium and S. rostratum as potential hosts of the tomato brown rugose fruit virus“, co-authored by VIRTIGATION scientists Aviv Dombrovsky and Elisheva Smith from Volcani Center – read our blog and the full publication in the PLOS ONE journal
4) “Tomato Leaf Curl New Delhi Virus Spain Strain Is Not Transmitted by Trialeurodes vaporariorum and Is Inefficiently Transmitted by Bemisia tabaci Mediterranean between Zucchini and the Wild Cucurbit Ecballium elaterium”, authored by Alessia Farina and Carmelo Rapisarda from the University of Catania, and Jesús Navas-Castillo and Elvira Fiallo-Olivé from CSIC – read our blog and the full publication in the Insects journal
5) “Directions from Nature: How to Halt the Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus”, co-authored by VIRTIGATION scientists Yuling Bai, Romanos Zois and Anne-Marie Wolters from Wageningen University – read our blog and the full publication in the Agronomy journal
6) “Eggsplorer: a rapid plant–insect resistance determination tool using an automated whitefly egg quantification algorithm”, co-authored by VIRTIGATION scientists Micha Devi and Lotte Caarls from Stichting Wageningen Research – read our blog and the full publication in the BMC Plant Methods journal
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Follow VIRTIGATION on its social media channels to stay updated on project progress. Join the VIRTIGATION community as it strives to protect the #planthealth of tomatoes and cucurbits as key fruits and vegetables.
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