VKM Report 2019: 17 Pest risk assessment of selected Epitrix species Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Plant Health of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment VKM Report 2019: 17 Report from the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment (VKM) 2019:17 Pest risk assessment of selected Epitrix species Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Plant Health of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment 16.12.2020 ISBN: 978-82-8259-333-5 ISSN: 2535-4019 Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment (VKM) Po 222 Skøyen N – 0213 Oslo Norway Phone: +47 21 62 28 00 Email: vkm.no vkm.no/english Cover photo: Epitrix pubescens (Udo Schmidt [CC BY-SA 2.0]) Suggested citation: VKM, Johan A. Stenberg, Daniel Flø, Lawrence Kirkendall, Paal Krokene, Beatrix Alsanius, Christer Magnusson, Mogens Nicolaisen, Iben M. Thomsen, Sandra A.I. Wright, Trond Rafoss (2019). Pest risk assessment of selected Epitrix species. Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Plant Health. VKM report 2019:17, ISBN: 978-82-8259-333-5, ISSN: 2535-4019. Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment (VKM), Oslo, Norway. VKM Report 2019: 17 Pest risk assessment of selected Epitrix species Preparation of the opinion The Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment (Vitenskapskomiteen for mat og miljø, VKM) appointed a project group to answer the mandate. The project group consisted of four VKM members and a project leader from the VKM secretariat. Two external referees commented on and reviewed the opinion. The VKM Panel on Plant Health evaluated and approved the final opinion. Authors of the opinion Members of the project group that contributed to the drafting of the opinion In alphabetical order after chair of the project group: Johan A. Stenberg – Chair of the project group and member of the Panel on Plant Health in VKM. Affiliation: 1) VKM; 2) Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Plant Protection Biology, P.O. Box 102, 23053 Alnarp, Sweden Daniel Flø – Member of the project group and project leader in the VKM secretariat. Affiliation: VKM. Lawrence Kirkendall – Member of the project group and member of the Panel on Alien Organisms and Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in VKM. Affiliation: 1) VKM; 2) University of Bergen, Department of Biological Sciences, P.O. Box 7803, 5020 Bergen, Norway Paal Krokene – Member of the project group and member of the Panel on Plant Health in VKM. Affiliation: 1) VKM; 2) Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Division of Biotechnology and Plant Health, P.O. Box 115, NO-1431 Ås, Norway Members of the Panel on Plant Health that contributed to the assessment and approval of the opinion In addition to Johan A. Stenberg, Lawrence Kirkendall and Paal Krokene, these are (in alphabetic order before the Panel Chair): Beatrix Alsanius – Member of the Panel on Plant Health in VKM. Affiliation: 1) VKM; 2) The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Biosystems and Technology, 23053 Alnarp, Sweden Christer Magnusson – Member of the Panel on Plant Health in VKM. Affiliation: 1) VKM; 2) Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Division of Biotechnology and Plant Health VKM Report 2019: 17 Viruses, Bacteria and Nematodes in Forestry, Agriculture and Horticulture, P.O. Box 115, NO- 1431 Ås, Norway Mogens Nicolaisen – Member of the Panel on Plant Health in VKM. Affiliation: 1) VKM; 2) Aarhus University, Department of Agroecology - Entomology and Plant Pathology, Forsøgsvej 1, building 7611, B243, 4200 Slagelse, Denmark Iben M. Thomsen – Member of the Panel on Plant Health in VKM. Affiliation: 1) VKM; 2) University of Copenhagen, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Rolighedsvej 23, 1958 Frb. C. Sandra A.I. Wright – Member of the Panel on Plant Health in VKM. Affiliation: 1) VKM; 2) University of Gävle, Faculty of Engineering and Sustainable Development, 801 76 Gävle. Trond Rafoss - Member of the Panel on Plant Health in VKM. Affiliation: 1) VKM; 2) Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Division of Biotechnology and Plant Health Fungal Plant Pathology in Forestry, Agriculture and Horticulture, P.O. Box 115, NO-1431 Ås, Norway Acknowledgment VKM thanks the referees Dr. Roel P.J. Potting (Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority) and Dr. Anthony Deczynski (Clemson University) for reviewing and commenting on the manuscript. VKM emphasises that the referees are not responsible for the content of the final opinion. In accordance with VKM’s routines for approval of a risk assessment, VKM received the referees' comments before evaluation and approval by the Panel and prior to publication. VKM would also like to thank Direção Geral De Alimentação e Veterinária, Portugal for their valuable information on the distribution of Epitrix papa in Portugal. Competence of VKM experts Persons working for VKM, either as appointed members of the Committee or as external experts, do this by virtue of their scientific expertise, not as representatives for their employers or third party interests. The Civil Services Act instructions on legal competence apply for all work prepared by VKM. VKM Report 2019: 17 Table of contents Pest risk assessment of selected Epitrix species .................................................... 1 Pest risk assessment of selected Epitrix species ................................................................ 3 Authors of the opinion .................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgment ............................................................................................................ 4 Competence of VKM experts ............................................................................................ 4 Table of contents .................................................................................................... 5 Summary ................................................................................................................ 8 Sammendrag på norsk ......................................................................................... 10 Abbreviations and glossary .................................................................................. 12 Background as provided by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority ...................... 14 Terms of reference as provided by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority ........... 15 Pest risk assessment ............................................................................................ 16 1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 16 1.1 Purpose and scope ............................................................................................... 16 1.2 Method and information collection ......................................................................... 16 1.3 Literature search strategy ..................................................................................... 16 1.4 Data collection ..................................................................................................... 16 1.5 Ratings of probabilities and uncertainties ............................................................... 17 2 Pest categorization ...................................................................................... 17 3 Pest taxonomy, biology, occurrence, hosts and regulatory status ............... 19 3.1 Pest identification, name and taxonomic position .................................................... 19 3.2 Taxonomic information ......................................................................................... 19 Identifying species of Epitrix....................................................................... 20 The taxonomic challenge ........................................................................... 20 3.3 Biological information ........................................................................................... 22 3.4 Host plant species ................................................................................................ 23 Host plant species of Epitrix cucumeris ........................................................ 24 Host plant species of Epitrix hirtipennis ....................................................... 24 Host plant species of Epitrix papa ............................................................... 25 3.5 Geographical distribution ...................................................................................... 25 Geographic distribution of Epitrix cucumeris ................................................ 25 Geographic distribution of Epitrix hirtipennis ................................................ 26 VKM Report 2019: 17 Geographic distribution of Epitrix papa ........................................................ 27 3.6 Occurrence of the pests in the PRA area ................................................................ 28 3.7 Regulatory status ................................................................................................. 28 4 Assessment of the probability of introduction and spread ........................... 30 4.1 Probability of entry of a pest ................................................................................. 30 Identification of pathways of entry .............................................................. 30 Probability of the pest being associated with potatoes at origin of shipment ... 33 Probability of survival during transport or storage .......................................