DA outlines measures vs. oil palm disease

To protect the Philippine coconut and oil palm industries, quarantine measures have been placed by the Department of Agriculture to prevent contamination from oil palm disease found in imported oil palm seedlings.

In his order, DA Secretary Domingo Panganiban said recent findings of the Plant Quarantine Service revealed that imported oil palms were infected with a disease manifesting symptoms of Chlorotic Ringspot Virus, a quarantine pest of oil palm not present in the country.

The disease is characterized by mosaic, mottling and ringspot leaf symptoms on young palms maintained in the nurseries.

Symptomatology and preliminary laboratory analysis indicated that the causal organism is a virus. However, the results were not conclusive to confirm the specific identity of the organism causing chlorotic ringspot on oil palm plants.

Further laboratory tests have to be conducted to confirm identify of the pathogen.

Pending confirmation on causal organism's identity, Panganiban said that phytosanitary measures should be implemented to prevent the continuous introduction of infected planting materials in the country.

Among the measures that need to be implemented is the certification of oil palm planting materials from exporting country that the products are free from chlorotic ringspot virus and other oil palm diseases.

Planting materials should also come only from accredited seed producers in the country of origin. These producers should provide the Bureau of Plant Industry with technical guidelines/standards/systems adopted and implemented in seed production prior to importation.

Upon arrival, the materials should also be inspected and samples should be submitted to PQS for testing. The materials shall be planted only in site/nursery approved by PQS and post entry monitoring shall be conducted to check the presence of introduced pests.

Existing oil palm nurseries should also be inspected and monitored to determine the distribution of the disease. Nurseries with plants found to exhibit the symptoms of chlorotic ringspot virus and other exotic diseases must be isolated.

Oil palm planting materials found to be infected with diseases would be subjected to other quarantine measures. -Jasmin R. Uy