Quarantine Testing of Prohibited Germplasm by the USDA at Beltsville, Maryland

Abstract

Quarantine testing of imported plant germplasm is essential to protect U.S. agriculture against the inadvertent introduction of foreign pests and pathogens and is required by law. The testing of pome and stone fruits, brambles, potatoes, sweet potatoes, sugarcane, rice, grasses and some other crops is carried out jointly by two agencies within the United States Department of Agriculture at Beltsville, MD. Policy, budget, horticultural and technological questions as well as the perceptions of the user community have a direct impact on the operation of the testing program. A policy question that is of paramount concern to the operation of the testing program is whether or not to release foreign accessions if they are known to be infected with strains of a pathogen that is already found in the U.S. Low funding levels have hampered the program in the past, but additional funds have recently been made available for the program. The implementation of advanced technology has improved the testing program and will continue to do so in the future. A customer panel composed of people with technical knowledge in horticulture, plant pathology and advanced diagnostic methods is essential. Because the composition of this group will necessarily reflect the diverse crop responsibilities of the PGQO, communications among the ‘customer’ communities will be facilitated which should lead to a better understanding among the user groups of the complexities of the PGQO operations.