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Informational video about the almond wasp (Eurytoma amigdali)

#PlantHealth4Life is a multi-year, multinational campaign developed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) at the request of the European Commission, launched in 2023. In 2024, 21 Member States, including Spain, and one candidate country will participate.

Recommendations for the release of Torymus sinensis, a biological control organism for the chestnut wasp

The Pomacea insularum (apple snail) species is found in Spain. First detected in 2009, it has spread throughout the Ebro Delta. This species is considered one of the 100 most harmful invasive species.

The almond wasp (Eurytoma amigdali E) is a hymenopteran recently discovered in almond orchards in the Valencian Community. The adults are black and emerge in spring from the fruit they parasitized the previous season.

Given the damage caused by thrips observed since May on leaves and fruit in various citrus, persimmon and pomegranate crops and the confirmation of the presence of Scirtothrips aurantii Faure in certain areas, the following recommendations have been considered appropriate:

During the 2019 campaign, control failures were detected in some plots in the Ribera Alta region (Alzira, Benimuslem, Guadassuar, and Massalavés). Systematic surveys carried out in 2020 revealed that the resistance of the fungus Plurivorosphaerella nawae to the QoI group of fungicides (strobilurins) was present in most persimmon-producing areas in the province of Valencia.

This document sets out the measures to be taken against gastropod mollusc species of the genus Pomacea, a quarantine pest in Europe, with the aim of preventing their appearance and, if they do appear, acting quickly and effectively, determining their distribution and combating them with the aim of eradicating them.

Given the damage caused by thrips observed since May on leaves and fruit in various citrus, persimmon and pomegranate crops and the confirmation of the presence of Scirtothrips aurantii Faure in certain areas, the following recommendations have been considered appropriate:

Pollinating insects are vitally important for the proper functioning of crops. Pollination is essential to ensuring the quantity and quality of crops and food production, directly linking wild ecosystems with agricultural production systems.

Mhytimna unipuncta is a defoliating caterpillar of meadows and corn, which causes damage of varying intensity, although it is increasingly common in Cantabria and in certain areas can cause some alarm among the population.

On February 12, 2019, a "Seminar on Xylella fastidiosa" was held in the Assembly Hall of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food. This seminar is part of the measures adopted by the Ministry to disseminate information and raise awareness about the fight against and control of Xylella fastidiosa.

Xylella fastidiosa (Wells et al.) is a quarantine phytopathogenic bacterium that has a very wide range of host plants (more than 300 plant species), and can cause serious damage to the most important crops of the Balearic Islands, such as almond, vine, olive, citrus or fig trees, and to numerous species of ornamental plants (rosemary, lavender, polygala and acacia, among others).

Xylella fastidiosa is a bacterium that lives in the xylem of plants, preventing the normal flow of water and nutrients. It causes diseases in various economically important crops, depending on the subspecies and genetic group of the bacteria. The most characteristic symptoms are the scorched appearance of leaves and shoots.

Recommendations for treatments against red palm weevil and other palm borer pests

Paysandisia archon, a lepidopteran of the Castniidae family, is native to South America, whose larvae feed on palm trees. The first detection in Europe was in France and Italy in 1998-99. In Spain, it was first detected in Catalonia in May 2002, and in the Valencian Community in June of that same year.

Scirtothrips aurantii is a pest that affects various crops such as pomegranates, persimmons, citrus fruits, and table grapes. This pest was first detected in Spain in 2020, in the province of Huelva.

Cottony mildew is one of the pests that most concerns the persimmon production sector in the Valencian Community. They feed on the plant's sap, weakening it, and excrete large amounts of honeydew, on which saprophytic fungi develop, forming a characteristic black felt known as "sour patch." Fruits stained with sooty mold lose commercial quality.

Whiteflies are among the pests of greatest concern to the persimmon production sector in the Valencian Community. Within this group of insects, the species most commonly found on persimmons are Dialeurodes citri, Paraleyrodes minei, and Aleurothrixus floccosus.

Whiteflies are the pests that have most concerned both the persimmon and citrus production sectors in the Valencian Community in recent years. Within this group of insects, the species most commonly found are Dialeurodes citri, Paraleyrodes minei, and Aleurothrixus floccosus.