 
Ministry for Primary Industries Import Health Standard   Page 334 
155.02 .06: Importation of Nursery Stock                                                                                                                            16 Octobe r 2023  Inspection, Testing and Treatment Requirements for Vaccinium  
 
ORGANISM TYPES  MPI -ACCEPTED METHODS (See notes below)  
Fungi  Growing season inspection in PEQ for disease symptom expression  
Diaporthe vaccinii  PCR or Plating  of twig or leaf material onto suitable isolation medium  
Monilinia vaccinii -corymbosi  Growing season inspection in PEQ for disease symptom expression  
AND  [for t issue cultures which will be deflasked into a level 3A 
quarantine facility , option 3.3 of the Vaccinium  schedule  only]; one of the 
following tests must occur before the tissue cultures are transferred to the 
quarantine facility:  
PCR or plating onto suitable isolation medium . 
Oomycota   
Phytophthora ramorum  Growing season inspection in PEQ for dise ase symptom expression  AND  
[for tissue cultures which were not certified as sourced from a country 
free from P. ramorum , and which will be deflasked into a level 3A 
quarantine facility under option 3.3 of the Vaccinium  schedule ]: 
Tissue cultures must be he ld in a level 3 tissue culture facility between 
17°C and 25 °C for a minimum period of four weeks , and inspected by the 
MPI inspector  before transfer to the greenhouse.  
Bacteri a  
Agrobacterium rubi  Growing season inspection in PEQ for disease symptom expression  
Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum 
(formerly R. solanacearum race 1 ) Growing season inspection in PEQ for disease symptom expression,  
AND  plating on selective media or PCR using DNA from plant stem  
Xylella fastidiosa  Growing season inspection in PEQ for disease symptom expression AND  
PCR  
Virus es  
Blueberry leaf mottle virus  ELISA or PCR  
Blueberry red ringspot virus  (syn. 
Cranberry ringspot virus ) ELISA or PCR  
Blueberry scorch virus  ELISA or PCR  
Blueberry shock virus  ELISA or PCR  
Blueberry shoestring virus  ELISA or PCR  
Peach rosette mosaic virus  ELISA or PCR  
Tobacco streak virus  
[strains not in New Zealand]  ELISA or PCR  
Tomato ringspot virus  
 ELISA or PCR  
Phytoplasmas   
Blueberry stunt phytoplasma  Nested PCR or real time PCR using universal phytoplasma primers  
Cranberry false blossom 
phytoplasma  Nested PCR or real time PCR using universal phyto plasma primers  
Vaccinium witches’ broom 
phytoplasma  Nested PCR or real time PCR using universal phytoplasma primers  
Disease s of unknown aetiology   
Blueberry fruit drop disease  Growing season inspection in PEQ for disease symptom expression  
 
Notes:  
1. The unit for testing is defined in section 2.3.2.1.  
2. Virus testing (ELISA and PCR) must be carried out in the spring or under spring -like conditions using the 
new flush of growth. Bacteria and phytoplasma testing (PCR) must be carried out at the end of the summer or 
under summer -like conditions.  
3. Vaccinium p lants must be sampled from at least two positions on every stem including a young, fully 
expanded leaf at the top of each stem and an older leaf from a midway position.  
4. All PCR and ELISA tests must be validated using positive controls prior to use in quara ntine testing. Positive 
and negative controls (including a blank water control for PCR) must be used in all tests. Ideally positive 
internal controls and a negative plant control should also be used in PCR tests.  