DA ready against oil palm disease

In order to protect the Philippine coconut and oil palm industries, the Department of Agriculture has put up quarantine measures to prevent oil palm disease from contaminating oil palm seedlings. In an order issued by DA Secretary Domingo Panganiban, Recent findings of the Plant Quarantine Service (PQS) 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, results are 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 the identify of the causal organism, the following phytosanitary measures are to be complied/implemented to prevent the continuous introduction of infected planting materials and spread of the disease to other areas of the country where it has not been observed:

Oil palm planting materials to be imported should be certified by the exporting country as free from chlorotic ringspot virus disease, lethal yellowing and other diseases of oil palm.

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

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

Existing oil palm nurseries shall 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 shall be isolated and prevented from distributing their seedlings for planting.

Oil palm planting materials found to be infected with diseases shall be subjected to other quarantine measures as deemed necessary. - Jasmin R. Uy