Pest diagnosis and surveillance

Pest diagnosis is an essential part of the plant health support for the Scottish Government and is the basis of much of the plant health advice given.

Diagnostic tests are used to look for quarantine and other pests :

  • in traded plants (imported and exported or moved within GB using plant passports) and plant products. This also includes organisms submitted for monitoring and surveillance activities such as Bemisia tabaci on Poinsettia plants, Meloidogyne chitwoodii on potatoes and Plum pox virus on Prunus;
  • to meet requirements for surveillance multiannual surveys which are conducted for pests, such as: Alternaria mali Blueberry scorch virus; Blueberry leaf mottle virus; Peach rosette mosaic virus; Tomato Brown Rugose fruit virus; Tomato chlorosis virus; Tomato leaf curl virus; Xylella;
  • as required for maintenance of pest free areas or to support statements of pest freedom for export;
  • for Scottish Government certification schemes (potatoes, fruit plant material and Narcissus bulbs);
  • as part of potato quarantine testing (see the potato quarantine page);
  • as required on potato in support of The Plant Health (Official Controls and Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Regulations 2019 (legislation.gov.uk).  This includes annual surveys for potato brown rot (Ralstonia solanacearum) and potato ring rot (Clavibacter sepedonicus).  Surveys on ware land for potato cyst nematode (Globodera pallida and Globodera rostochiensis) and other testing in Scotland to meet seed potato certification requirements (see the soil testing page for details of the sampling and testing for PCN);
  • as part of wart (Synchytrium endobioticum) susceptibility testing of potato varieties.

Samples from Scottish Government inspectors are examined for pests using microscopic, microbiological, serological, molecular and bioassay methods. SASA collaborates internationally to introduce and develop new techniques for the diagnosis of quarantine and other harmful organisms and is involved with EC evaluation of existing and new methods (see the R&D section).