According to EU regulations, certified citrus organic propagative material is mandatory. However, some interesting citrus varieties are not available, and farmers rely on plant material with unknown sanitary status, allowing the introduction of devastating transboundary pests/pathogens, i.e., Huanglongbing (HLB), Citrus Black Spot (CBS) (Pictures 1 and 2).
Solution
Recognition of exotic pests and disease outbreaks tends to occur when already established, i.e., Orange spiny whitefly (Picture 3). Containment is almost impossible, and preventive measures, such as using 'healthy' citrus plant material and efficient quarantine measures, are the only valid strategy for their control.
Description
The use of 'healthy' plant material and efficient quarantine measures is economically and environmentally more efficient than eliminating the newly introduced pests/diseases.
Practical recommendation
The use of 'healthy' plant material and efficient quarantine measures is economically and environmentally more efficient than eliminating the newly introduced pests/diseases.
• The choice of nursery plants is the first action toward sustainable and quality production.
• The use of healthy citrus propagative material is the only valid strategy to prevent the introduction of devastating pests/pathogens such as the recently introduced Orange spiny whitefly in Italy, Croatia and Greece. mealybug Delottococcus aberiae in Spain, which are seriously threatening the Mediterranean citriculture.
• If the certified citrus propagative material is unavailable in the specific EU regulatory context of organic plant material production, the farmers can rely on the conventional certified propagative material in the framework of the conversion period.
• The citrus propagative material needs to be imported into the EU countries only if accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate confirming their compliance with the EU legislation.
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