Risk of pathogens associated with plant germplasm imported into India from various countries

During 2012–2014, a total of 309,182 germplasm samples including trial materials were received in the form of seeds, vegetative propagules and in vitro plantlets from different countries. These samples were tested for quarantine clearance resulted in interception of 30 pathogenic fungi and one bacterium in 63 crop species from 35 countries including Peronospora manshurica and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum ( not reported from India); Bipolaris maydis, B. oryzae, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides , C. lindemuthianum, Fusarium solani, F. verticillioides, Puccinia carthami (have different races); Botrytis cinerea, Phoma sorghina, Rhizoctonia solani , Macrophomina phaseolina, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (have wide host range); Tilletia barclayana (have limited distribution); Alternaria ricini on Tagetes spp., Bipolaris maydis on Capsicum annuum, B. oryzae on Brassica oleracea var. botrytis and Solanum lycopersicum and Colletotrichum capsici on Abelmoschus esculentus (new host record), etc. and Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (have different races) which are of quarantine significance to India. Infected samples were salvaged by adopting suitable techniques, however, 636 samples could not be salvaged, hence, rejected and incinerated. Interception of large number of pathogens of quarantine significance on a wide range of crops from different countries emphasizes the need for utmost care and vigilance during quarantine processing of imported plant genetic resources to biosecure India by intercepting the entry of exotic pathogens or more virulent races/strains in the country.