Çertifikimi i materialit të shumimit të hardhisë në BE. Cilat janë përshtatjet e nevojshme për Shqipërinë?

CERTIFICATION OF GRAPEVINE PROPAGATION MATERIAL IN THE EU. WHAT ADAPTATIONS ARE NECESSARY FOR ALBANIA?

Michele Digiaro

Istituto Agronomico Mediterraneo, via Ceglie 9, 70010 Valenzano, Bari, Italy.

Grapevine is affected by a large number of pathogens that significantly impair its productivity, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Most of them, in particular virus and virus-like agents, are spread via propagation material. As there are still no direct treatment methods to fight against viruses in the field, prevention remains the most effective way of combating them, and among the preventive control methods, certification of propagation material is undoubtedly the most effective one. This not only ensures freedom from specific harmful pathogens, but also trueness-to-type of the propagation material intended for marketing. Considering that viral agents have a considerable economic impact on vines, due to their wide distribution and the severity of their effects, the EU issued a Directive (68/193/EEC) in 1968, for the first-time targeting plant species, which provided for mandatory certification of propagation material in Community countries. This regulation was amended and modified over time, leading to the latest version of Commission Implementing Directive (EU) 2020/177, which harmonized grapevine certification with that of other fruit species. The most significant change in the current legislation is the recognition, even for ‘standard’ category material, of a minimum health level below which the material cannot be marketed. As regards phytosanitary aspects, the current rules require that the ‘initial material’ to be certified, derived from a specific clonal and sanitary selection programme, is substantially free from all the main harmful organisms that can be transmitted by grafting. In the next steps of the certification programme (pre-multiplication and multiplication), special emphasis is laid on the control of infectious degeneration viruses (GFLV and ArMV), grapevine leafroll viruses (GLRaV-1 and GLRaV-3) and, concerning rootstocks, on grapevine fleck virus (GFkV). For all of them the regulations specify the type and frequency of diagnostic tests to be adopted, the isolation conditions required for the various types of material, and the vector control measures. Among the regulated non-quarantine pests (RNQP), particular attention is also paid to the absence of Vitis vitifoliae, Xylophilus ampelinus and Ca. Phytoplasma solani. Albania’s alignment to nursery material certification programmes in accordance with EU regulations is more than ever necessary and urgent i) to improve the health status of vineyards and hence ensure higher quality and quantity of the produce, ii) to start a rigorous programme for the selection and enhancement of the most interesting autochthonous cultivars before they are eventually lost, c) to provide greater market opportunities for local nurserymen aiming toward future accession to the EU.

Key words: Directive (EU) 2020/177, grapevine certification programme, autochthonous cultivars.