Pest risk assessment of pospiviroids: how biological and epidemiological features influence plant quarantine risk. International Workshop on Viroids and Satellite RNAs (IWVdS) Beijing ? China, August 23rd-25th, 2013. p. 21, Beijing - China, August 23rd-25th 2013. (Oral Com)

The Scientific Panel on Plant Health (PLH) of the European Food Safety Authority conducts risk assessment of plant pests and pathogens, providing scientific advice to the Commission, Parliament and Member States of the European Union (EU) and supporting science-based decisions on plant health and quarantine issues. In 2011 and 2012 the PLH panel conducted pest risk assessments for the EU of pospiviroids: Potato spindle tuber viroid, Citrus exocortis viroid, Columnea latent viroid, Mexican papita viroid, Tomato apical stunt viroid, Tomato chlorotic dwarf viroid, Tomato planta macho viroid, Chrysanthemum stunt viroid and Pepper chat fruit viroid. The PLH Panel also identified and evaluated risk reduction options. The key biological and epidemiological features of pospiviroids, including a relatively broad host range, the long distance spread via vegetatively propagated crops and, at least in some instances, seed- and/or insect-mediated transmission, have been analysed to assess the likelihood of introduction and spread as well as the potential impact of pospiviroids on solanaceous crops and on other ornamental species in the EU. The results of the assessments are presented and discussed in terms of how these features of pospiviroids determine their quarantine risk.