The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) confirmed the presence of the fungus Ceratobasidium theobromae, which causes cassava witches' broom, in crops in Amapá. According to technicians, this is the first time that this threat has been detected in Brazil. The disease has the potential to cause great economic losses.
The fungus was initially identified by Embrapa Amapá technicians in cassava plantations in the indigenous lands of Oiapoque, on the border with French Guiana. It was later found in the municipalities of Calçoene and Amapá, south of Oiapoque.
Edilene Cambraia, director of the Department of Plant Health and Agricultural Inputs, warns of the risk of a significant reduction in cassava productivity. Symptoms of the disease include dry, deformed branches, stunting and the proliferation of weak shoots. With evolution, chlorosis, wilting and drying of the leaves appear, in addition to the apical and descending death of the plants.
Dispersal of the fungus can occur through infected plant material, pruning tools, contaminated soil and water. Embrapa highlights that the movement of plants and agricultural products between regions can facilitate the spread of the pathogen.
With the confirmation of the presence of the fungus by the Federal Agricultural Defense Laboratory of Goiânia, Mapa technicians went to Amapá to discuss phytosanitary defense actions with local authorities and Embrapa experts.
The measures adopted include intensification of monitoring of cultivation areas, implementation of quarantine to restrict the movement of plant material, use of healthy plants produced in regions without the disease, application of specific fungicides, removal and burning of diseased plants, asepsis of tools, and local communication.
Absent quarantine pests (PQA) are those with potential economic importance and that are not present in the national territory, according to the International Convention for the Protection of Plants (CIPV). In Brazil, around 700 species or genera are regulated as PQA, in accordance with Normative Instruction No. 39, of 01/10/2018.
Each pest presents specific risks and requires different control actions. The National Program for the Prevention and Surveillance of Absent Quarantine Pests was established to prevent the entry of these pests into Brazil. The program maintains a surveillance system for early detection and application of risk mitigation measures.
The list of missing quarantine pests can be read in the PDF at the end of this article.
The list of quarantine pests present:
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