A look back at the day of approved plant health laboratories

Approved laboratories, the General Directorate for Food (DGAL) and the National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) for Plant Health (PH) met on 13 June in Paris. As the NRL for regulated non-quarantine organisms, this one-day meeting provided GEVES with an opportunity to present the progress of its work on the development of methods and the organisation of inter-laboratory proficiency tests.

The discussions focused on several significant advances. Firstly, the improvement of the method for detecting Aphelenchoides besseyi on rice seeds, a crucial issue for ensuring the quality and health of crops of this species. This method, based on the ISTA method, aims to easily extract and accurately identify the presence of this harmful nematode, enabling appropriate measures to be taken to prevent its spread.

This was followed by a presentation on the method for detecting bruchids on pea and bean seeds. Bruchids are insect pests that can cause significant damage to crops by reducing yield and seed quality. The development of effective detection techniques is therefore essential to protect these crops.

GEVES was also present as an approved PH laboratory for regulated quarantine organisms: tomato virus (ToBRFV) and cereal bunt (Tilletia spp.). These exchanges help to strengthen collaboration between the various entities and to share valuable knowledge and experience for the continuous improvement of detection and control methods for harmful organisms in plant health.