Seed pathway of pest dissemination: the ISTA Reference Pest List, a bibliographic resource in non-vegetable plant species.

Food safety is intimately linked to plant health. It is threatened by pests whose impact varies greatly depending on the crop, agricultural practices, and regions of the world. In a global trade context, the transport of infested plant materials is an important factor in the spread of organisms to new territories, which can cause emerging diseases. It is critical to deploy strategies to limit this from happening. Identifying pests and their vectors is a first step towards risk analysis. International initiatives are bringing together research results on the role of seeds as vectors of pests. The International Seed Testing Association Reference Pest List (ISTA-RPL) focuses on seed-borne pathogenic organisms in about 50 plant species (field crops, legumes, fruit and forest trees, aromatic plants). The aim is to determine, based on scientific results, if these organisms can (or cannot) be transmitted vertically or transferred in the environment under natural conditions, making seeds a vector of dissemination. The ISTA-RPL currently inventories 333 pests, of which 146 are transmitted or transferred via seeds in 23 host species (v9.0; July 2022). It is a living tool, and an additional set of hosts is under investigation. This literature resource may be a valuable source for risk assessors and policymakers. It also opens avenues of R&D work by seed companies, academic laboratories or industry to develop diagnostics, detection methods, or treatments.