Interception of Insect and Mite Pests in Imported Germplasm During the Year 2001

Quarantine examination of 85,892 samples during 2001, revealed infestation with insects and mites in 213 samples. Insect pests intercepted include: Cryptolestis sp in Pennisetum typhoides from Nigeria; Lasioderma serricorne (F.) in Hordeum vulgare from Syria; Rhizopertha dominica (Fab.) in H. vulgare and Triticum aestivum from Syria and Azerbaijan; Sitophilus zeamais (Motschulsky) in Zea mays from Philippines; S. oryzae (L.) in Oryza saliva from USA and Thailand, in T. aestivum from Nepal and in Zea mays from Thailand and Mexico. Scales and mites were found in vegetative propagules of Vaccinium sp and Juglans regia from USA and France, respectively. X-ray radiography revealed Bruchus lentis in Lens culinaris from Syria; Bruchophagus roddi in Medicago sativa from USA; Systole coriandri (Motschulsky) in Coriandrum sativum from Russia and immature stages of bruchids and chalcids in several other plant genera from different countries. All the infested samples were salvaged mechanically or by using suitable treatments.