National Reference Laboratory for pests on plants- VIRUSES, VIROIDS, AND PHYTOPLASMAS

In October 2019, the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection (AFSVSPP) appointed the National Reference Laboratory for Pests on Plants - Viruses, Viroids and Phytoplasmas, which is a consortium of three partners:

The tasks performed by the national reference laboratory are defined in the Article 101 of the Regulation (EU) 2017/625. The main tasks of the National Reference Laboratory are:

  • collaboration with the reference laboratories of the European Union
  • coordination of official laboratories in the Republic of Slovenia
  • coordination and guidance for the improvement of laboratory analytical, testing and diagnostic methods
  • organization of inter-laboratory comparisons or proficiency tests for official laboratories
  • provision of professional and scientific assistance to the AFSVSPP for the implementation of multi-year national surveys and other coordinated official control programs
  • ensuring the validation of reagents, establishing and maintaining lists of available reference substances and reagents
  • provision of professional assistance to the AFSVSPP in diagnosis of disease outbreaks, transmitted by plant pests and in the case of non-compliance of the shipments (confirmatory diagnosis, determination of properties, epidemiological and taxonomic studies of pathogenic isolates or pest samples).

Tasks among the partners in the consortium according are defined according to the type of plant:

  • National Institute of Biology viruses and viroids, and phytoplasmas (ornamentals and vegetables), phytoplasmas
  • Agricultural Institute of Slovenia: viruses and viroids (fruit trees, grapevine, field crops)
  • Slovenian Institute of Hop Research and Brewing: viruses and viroids (hops)

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