EFSA’s Panel on Plant Health has reviewed a study which suggests that the pathogen causing a black spot disease (CBS) is present in Europe. Phyllosticta citricarpa is listed as a quarantine plant pest in the EU and has never been identified in the territory.
The authors of the paper reported finding the fungal pathogen in domestic gardens in Portugal, Malta and Italy but said there was no evidence of the disease at any of the sites.
EFSA’s plant health experts noted a number of limitations in the surveillance part of the study:
- It is not clear from the methodology presented how the sample locations and sites were chosen or how samples were collected
- The sampling procedure was inconsistent and not statistically based
- No explanation is given for how the CSB disease surveys were conducted. Without properly constituted disease surveys, there is little support for the conclusion that P. citricarpa did not lead to disease.