Phytosanitary risks of newly introduced crops (PRONC)

The increasing introduction of new crops in Europe are an opportunity for growers to produce for niche markets. These newly introduced exotic crops, as well as “forgotten” crops, are mainly grown and marketed outside the general, large-scale commercial agriculture. This local production, and the associated short food supply chain, obtain their planting materials (seed, tubers, cuttings) from different sources, e.g. multipliers in the South of Europe or directly from overseas areas, internet shops, etc. The phytosanitary status of this material is very rarely checked. Entry and spread of possible plant pathogens and pests could pose a threat to traditional crops, besides hampering the cultivation of the new crops. Especially when planting material is obtained from non-European countries, phytosanitary risks can be high. The project focussed on gathering information on a selection of vegetatively propagated tuber producing crops that are gaining a lot of interest, but for which only limited information on their phytosanitary status is available. A survey was performed on yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius), ulluco (Ullucus tuberosus), sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), crosne (Stachys affinis), mashua (Tropaeolum tuberosum), oca (Oxalis tuberosa) and Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus). The survey was complemented with a desktop study to map the distribution, pathways and extent of these niche crops. The focus of risk identification was put on viruses and nematodes due to their high potential for introduction without being noticed due to lack of typical symptoms. In addition, specifically for viruses, screening through HTS (high throughput sequencing) was performed to detect targeted and untargeted viruses. A limited number of biological assessments was performed for selected viruses and nematodes (e.g. host status of other crops) to gather information in support of pest risk analyses. Literature studies were performed to identify control options for selected pests.