Abstract
The Council Directive 2000/29/EC concerns protective measures against the introduction into the Member States from other Member States or non-member countries of organisms, which are harmful to plants or plant products. A key aspect of the “protective measures” being the ability to detect and identify accurately and rapidly the introduction of the harmful organism in the plant or plant product being moved. In the case of potato viruses the directive lists a range of viruses (Andean potato latent virus, Andean potato mottle virus, oca strain of Arracacha virus B, Potato black ringspot virus, Potato spindle tuber viroid, Potato virus T, non-European isolates of potato viruses (A, M, S, V, X, Y and Potato leafroll virus)), as IAI pathogens (harmful organisms whose introduction into, and spread within, all member states shall be banned). For the first 6 of these viruses, this is a relatively straightforward job since they are absent from the EU, are distinct and in most cases (with the exception of Potato black ringspot virus) sufficiently well characterised at the serological and molecular level to enable effective detection straightforward. However, the non-European isolates descriptor for the otherwise relatively common, indigenous potato viruses causes a significant identification problem. Some of these viruses (PLRV, PVY and PVX) are well characterised in terms of both sequence variation and biology from a broad geographic range both inside and outside of Europe. For the remaining viruses (PVA, PVM, PVV and PVS) however, information on isolate variation within the UK and Europe compared with outside of Europe is distinctly lacking. This lack of information means that if an isolate of one of these viruses is intercepted it is impossible to know if it is something that is present and common in Europe or if it is distinct, absent and potentially poses a significant threat to the European potato industry. In addition to understanding variation of these viruses at the molecular level within Europe, it is also important to understand the impact that these viruses have biologically (disease on plants and vector capacity). With these facts in mind, this new project is being funded by Defra Plant Health Division (PHD) to develop a better understanding of virus taxonomy and its subsequent impact on biology. It is also important in providing an opportunity to train a new expert in this field. One of the recommendations made by the 2003 National Audit Office report on the UK Plant Health Service, was that PHD ensured a supply of young scientists in all the different plant health disciplines, in order to ensure expertise was available in future years and especially in areas where taxonomy which underpins diagnostic capabilities. This fellowship achieves this; providing training in an area where the UK currently lacks sufficient expertise. In addition this project forms the matched funding for the EU Q-BOL project "DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW DIAGNOSTIC TOOL USING DNA BARCODING TO IDENTIFY QUARANTINE ORGANISMS IN SUPPORT OF PLANT HEALTH " EU grant agreement number 226482.
United Kingdom