Phytophthora ramorum - The Food and Environment Research ...

What to do if P. ramorum or P. kernoviae is suspected
Check symptoms carefully and if you suspect disease is present, notify Defra PHSI (or your relevant
Plant Health Authority) immediately. In woodland situations, notify the Forestry Commission (Plant
Health Service). This is a legal requirement. If confirmed, a Statutory Notice will be issued specifying
required actions. In the meantime:
• Cordon off the area concerned and restrict public access.
• Do not handle or move the plants.
• Inspect other susceptible plants for symptoms and keep under review. Include the perimeters
of sites containing trees or likely hosts such as ‘wild’ Rhododendron.
• Do not apply anti-Phytophthora fungicides to plants where infection is suspected.
Such fungicides are likely to suppress but not eradicate the pathogens.
• Restrict or, where practical, avoid the use of overhead watering with plants known or
thought to be infected.
• Provide the authorities concerned with all necessary documentation and records including,
where appropriate, plant passport information.
What to do if P. ramorum or P. kernoviae is confirmed
If either disease is confirmed, a Statutory Notice will be issued detailing the eradication and
containment actions required (see eradication and containment policy at 10.3). Ensure all the
required actions including any stipulated removal and destruction of plant material, containers and
associated soil or growing media are implemented as soon as possible within the timeframe laid
out in the Statutory Notice. The following actions may be specified:
• Removal of plant debris and surrounding leaf litter.
• Prevention/removal of re-growth.
• Excision of infected bark and wood on trees with bleeding cankers.
• Prohibition on the movement of infected plants and use of infected material
(e.g. propagation/foliage display purposes).
• Prohibition on the use of anti-Phytophthora fungicides on any plants held under Statutory
Notice.
The Notice will also require appropriate measures to be taken to prevent re-infection of the site.
These measures may include:
• Restricting public access (e.g. appropriate signage, cordoning off).
• Not planting susceptible plants within a four metre radius of where infected plants were for a
period of three years or,
• The removal and deep burial of soil.