Among European countries, Italy is the most exposed to the risk of biological invasions, principally for its numerous entry points (ports and airports) and for climatic conditions favorable for the acclimatization of several invasive species. Here it was assessed that the greatest threats to our agro-ecosystems come mainly from the passenger baggage in which a variety of fruits and vegetables are carried. From 2016 to 2021, large quantities of plant products were found in the luggage of passengers travelling from outside the EU and seized at the BCPs (border control posts) in the Campania region. Inspections and the following laboratory analyses were conducted on the plant material to assess the presence of exotic pests. Inspections led to several non-native species being recorded, and among the intercepted organisms, some should be considered “alarming”, such as Bactrocera dorsalis, Anastrepha obliqua, and Leucinodes africensis. Despite a well-organized border inspection system, travelers transporting infested material unknowingly contribute to increasing the risk of the introduction of exotic species. Given the current situation, it is necessary to impose stricter controls and greater attention, ensuring compliance with the requirements of the new phytosanitary regulations by the actors involved in the transport of plant material. Finally, it is essential to improve awareness through a phytosanitary campaign on plant health risks, especially for people wishing to transport fruits and vegetables in their luggage.

Aromia bungii (Faldermann, 1835) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), the red-necked longhorn beetle is native to eastern Asia, where it is an important wood-borer of fruit and ornamental species of the genus Prunus. A. bungii is a quarantine pest in the European Union, following its accidental introduction and establishment in Germany and Italy, and is currently included in the list of priority pests. To confirm its infestations in outbreak areas, adult or larval specimens are needed to perform morphological or molecular analyses. The presence of A. bungii larvae inside the attacked trees makes the collection of specimens particularly difficult. Thus, we present two diagnostic protocols based on frass analysis with real-time PCR (probe and SYBR Green). The results obtained show that a non-invasive approach for detecting the presence of this harmful invasive pest can be a reliable and accurate alternative diagnostic tool in phytosanitary surveys, as well as to outline a sustainable pest management strategy.

The cynipid Dryocosmus kuriphilus is the most impactful invasive pest of Castanea sativa copse woods and orchards currently reported from many European countries. A low impact solution for the containment of this pest could be the use of resistant trees. We examined the resistance of the red salernitan ecotype (RSE) of C. sativa to D. kuriphilus and carried out a morphological characterization of this ecotype’s plants and fruits. From November 2015 to May 2017 we observed and recorded the percentage of infested buds, healthy leaves and shoots on about 50 chestnut trees, together with the number, size, and position of galls, and the number of eggs laid by the gall wasps into the buds and the number of larvae inside the galls. We showed a progressive mortality of cynipid larvae up to the starting point of galls development when almost total larval mortality was recorded. This suggests that RSE trees have a moderate resistance to D. kuriphilus; however, resistance acts at different levels, resulting in fewer eggs being deposited, a low number of larvae reaching the complete development, and a low number of galls on the branches. Moreover, the galls on resistant trees are smaller than the susceptible ones, so the larvae are more exposed to parasitization.

In March 2024, symptoms of vein clearing (Fig. S1) were observed on leaves of six lemon (Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f.) trees grown in a private garden in Palma Campania (Campania region, Italy). Symptoms strongly resembled those of yellow vein clearing disease, caused by Potexvirus citriflavivenae (citrus yellow vein clearing virus, CYVCV), genus Potexvirus, sub-genus Mandarivirus (Loconsole et al., 2012; Cui et al., 2018). CYVCV was reported in Pakistan, India, China, Iran, Turkey, Korea and USA (Abrahamian et al., 2024; Catara et al., 1993; EPPO, 2024; Sun and Yokomi, 2024; Jin et al., 2024). Since 2022, considering the potential impact of this emerging virus, CYVCV has been included in the EPPO alert list and it has not been reported in any European Union (EU) Member State where the virus is not regulated. To ascertain possible infection with CYVCV, leaf samples were collected and tested by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Total nucleic acids (TNAs) from leaves of the symptomatic lemon and non-symptomatic lemon and sweet orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) trees grown in the same garden, were extracted using the silica-capture extraction method (Foissac et al. 2001). TNAs were tested by RT-PCR using CYVCV specific primers (Table S1) designed by Chen et al., (2014) targeting the coat protein gene. All symptomatic trees and an asymptomatic sweet orange from the same garden tested positive generating an amplicon of the expected size (612 bp). Direct Sanger sequencing of amplicons obtained from two symptomatic lemons and one non-symptomatic sweet orange (An PP842725-PP842727) followed by BLAST search showed 97.9-98.08% sequence identity (query coverage 100%) with CYVCV isolates previously reported from a mandarin (An OQ418501) and a lemon (An OQ418493) in California. In contrast, no amplicons were detected in samples from non-symptomatic lemon trees. Virus identity was confirmed by RT-PCR with different primers (Table S1) targeting the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene of CYVCV. Amplicons of the expected size (832 bp) were obtained only from samples previously tested positive to the virus and their sequences determined by Sanger sequence (An PQ284953-PQ284955) showed 97.98-98.11% identity (query coverage 100%) with CYVCV sequence previously reported from a mandarin (An OR251443) in New Delhi. Since CYVCV is transmitted by insects (Önelge et al., 2011a, 2011b, Zhang et al., 2018, 2019), TNAs (Foissac et al., 2001) from Aphis aurantii infesting symptomatic lemons, and of A. spiraecola and Dialeurodes citri infesting symptomatic lemon and non-symptomatic sweet orange trees were assayed by RT-PCR with primer pairs designed by Chen et al., (2014). Three samples of 15 specimens from three different trees were tested for each insect. In contrast to D. citri, which tested negative, an amplicon of 612 bp was detected from A. aurantii and A. spiraecola and Direct sequencing of amplicons (An PP842721-PP842724) confirmed the nature of the virus and showed that insect-derived viral sequences shared nucleotide identity of 99.3-100% with those from the infected trees. Altogether, these data support that CYVCV is present in Southern Italy. Likely, it has been introduced illegally through infected citrus propagation material. Given the large A. aurantii and A. spiraecola populations in the areas where CYVCV has been detected, a fast spread of the virus to other areas of Campania region can be expected. Even if the impact of CYVCV on citrus production in Italy remains to be assessed, prompt and extensive surveys may be helpful to establish the actual distribution of the virus. This would allow for a better evaluation of appropriate measures to be adopted to achieve sustainable citrus production. At the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of CYVCV in Italy and in the EU territory.

Platynota stultana is a Nearctic moth of economic importance for many crops in North America. It is a quarantine pest in Europe, where Mediterranean regions, with warm climates similar to those of the moth’s native range, are at risk of invasion. To date, the species is established only in Spain. It has been reported sporadically in Italy, but it is unknown whether these were transient findings or the result of an establishment. In this study, the presence of P. stultana in the Campania region, Southern Italy, was recorded. Adults of both sexes were found in different locations and in two consecutive years, suggesting that the species is established. Sequencing the COI gene identified three haplotypes of P. stultana, suggesting possible multiple introductions. The two most numerous haplotypes were identical to haplotypes from Florida. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the P. stultana clade splits into two subclades. The Italian haplotypes are all grouped into the same subclade. Our data suggest that P. stultana is expanding its range of invasion into Southern Italy, where, due to global warming, it may find increasingly favorable conditions and become an economic pest. A monitoring plan is required to allow timely implementation of control measures.