11th Joint EPPO/IOBC Panel Meeting on Biological Control Agents

Paris, 2018-10-17/19

 

The Panel considered the adopted procedure of additions to and deletions from the EPPO ‘Positive List’ (Appendices 1 and 2 in the EPPO Standard PM 6/3 List of biological control agents widely used in the EPPO region) that was developed by the Panel and approved by the Working Party. It was decided that parts of this procedure could be adjusted during its practical application. The Panel discussed documents received with the application for additions of Trichopria drosophilae (a pupal parasitoid of Drosophila species including Drosophila suzukii) and Propylea quatuordecimpunctata (a ladybird predator of aphids) and recommended these two BCA species to the EPPO Working Party for Phytosanitary Regulations (WPPR) for inclusion on the EPPO ‘Positive List’.

 

The Panel considered the draft document on exchange of information on BCAs between regulators, amended the document and decided to present it to the WPPR for approval according to the new adopted procedure. The Panel discussed the possibility of BCA use in minor uses programmes and decided to maintain this discussion in future. The Panel considered the results of the EPPO questionnaire to NPPOs (and other relevant decision-taking authorities) on national biological control regulations. Answers were received from 24 EPPO countries and will be used for harmonisation of regulations of BCA import and releases.

 

The Panel discussed the future EPPO work programme concerning the use of BCAs, amended it and proposed the amended version for consideration and approval by the WPPR. The Panel specifically focused on the examples where no plant protection solutions are possible without the use of BCAs: control of invasive plants, control of pests in urban situations, control of specific emerging or recently introduced pests (e.g. Agrilus planipennis, Drosophila suzukii, Dryocosmus kuriphilus, Halyomorpha halys, etc.). The Panel took into account information on the recently described Erythmelus klopomor, an egg parasitoid of Corythucha arcuata which causes serious damage to oak in Europe.

 

 

Drosophila suzukii
Courtesy: Manuel González Núñez, INIA (Spain)

Halyomorpha halys
Courtesy: Tim Haye

Trissolcus japonicus (egg parasitoid of H. halys)

Courtesy: Tim Haye