Pest categorisation of cowpea mosaic virus

The EFSA Panel on Plant Health conducted a pest categorisation of cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) forthe EU territory. The identity of CPMV, a member of the genusComovirus(familySecoviridae), isestablished and detection and identification methods are available. The pathogen is not included in theCommission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072. It has been reported from the Americas, andseveral countries in Africa and Asia and it is not known to be present in the EU in natural conditions.CPMV is considered a major pathogen of cowpea on which it causes symptoms ranging from mild tosevere mosaic, chlorosis and necrosis. The virus has been reported sporadically on some othercultivated species of the family Fabaceae, including soybean and some common bean varieties. CPMVis transmitted by cowpea seeds, with uncertainty on the transmission rate. There is uncertainty onseed transmission by other Fabaceae host species due to lack of information. CPMV is also transmittedby several beetle species, one of which,Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, is present in the EU. Seeds forsowing of cowpea are identified as the major entry pathway. The cultivated area and production ofcowpea in the EU territory are mainly limited to local varieties cultivated at a small scale inMediterranean EU Member States. Should the pest establish in the EU, an impact is expected oncowpea crops at local scale. There is high uncertainty on the potential impact that CPMV would causeon other natural hosts cultivated in the EU due to the lack of information from the areas of CPMV'scurrent distribution. Despite the uncertainty concerning the potential impact on bean and soybeancrops in the EU, CPMV satisfies the criteria that are within the remit of EFSA to assess for it to beregarded as a potential Union quarantine pest.