Articles
Croatian experience in establishing virus free citrus mother blocks
Article number
1413_14
Pages
117 – 122
Language
English
Abstract
Health is one of the key factors in the quality of citrus plant material.
Many countries have experienced citrus diseases and they have implemented certification schemes for plant material to preserve or produce high-quality plant material free of diseases and pests.
The first certification scheme in the European Union was established in 1975 in Spain, CVIPS (Citrus Variety Improvement Program of Spain). Hence, in 1998, the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) approved a certification scheme for the production of healthy citrus plant material without plant parasites, such as viruses and phytoplasmas.
In Croatia, citrus plant material was CAC category (Conformitas Agraria Communitatis), but after joining the European Union in 2013, Croatia accepted the already adopted regulations at the EU level as well as an EPPO certification scheme.
The establishment of citrus mother blocks under the EPPO certification scheme at the institutional level started in 2016. Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Croatia started the project Establishing the quality of mother blocks of citrus fruits, pome and stone fruits in the Republic of Croatia in 2016 in accordance with EU Directives 2008/90/EC, 2014/96/EU and 2014/98/EU. The implementation of the project was taken over by the Department for Mediterranean Plants, the University of Dubrovnik.
This paper will outline the challenges the Department encountered during the four-year implementation of the project of establishing citrus mother blocks with the aim of obtaining high-quality planting material that will allow better pomological value and increase plant productivity.
Also, the paper will present the main activities of the project continuation in the period 2022-2024.
Many countries have experienced citrus diseases and they have implemented certification schemes for plant material to preserve or produce high-quality plant material free of diseases and pests.
The first certification scheme in the European Union was established in 1975 in Spain, CVIPS (Citrus Variety Improvement Program of Spain). Hence, in 1998, the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) approved a certification scheme for the production of healthy citrus plant material without plant parasites, such as viruses and phytoplasmas.
In Croatia, citrus plant material was CAC category (Conformitas Agraria Communitatis), but after joining the European Union in 2013, Croatia accepted the already adopted regulations at the EU level as well as an EPPO certification scheme.
The establishment of citrus mother blocks under the EPPO certification scheme at the institutional level started in 2016. Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Croatia started the project Establishing the quality of mother blocks of citrus fruits, pome and stone fruits in the Republic of Croatia in 2016 in accordance with EU Directives 2008/90/EC, 2014/96/EU and 2014/98/EU. The implementation of the project was taken over by the Department for Mediterranean Plants, the University of Dubrovnik.
This paper will outline the challenges the Department encountered during the four-year implementation of the project of establishing citrus mother blocks with the aim of obtaining high-quality planting material that will allow better pomological value and increase plant productivity.
Also, the paper will present the main activities of the project continuation in the period 2022-2024.
Authors
I.P. Soče, M. Marić, M. Car, M. Marinović-Peričević
Keywords
establishment of virus free citrus mother blocks, EPPO certification scheme, Department for Mediterranean Plants, University of Dubrovnik, Croatia
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