APHIS to Deploy New Inspection Tech for Geranium Imports in Atlanta and N.J.
A new test procedure at two plant inspection stations for imports of Pelargonium (commonly known as geranium) cuttings may cause delays for importers of the plant. Beginning Feb. 18, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will begin evaluating the use of molecular diagnostics at the plant inspection stations in Linden, N.J. and Atlanta. The Cellular Analysis and Notification of Antigen Risk and Yield (CANARY) diagnostic system will allow the agency to rapidly detect low levels of pathogens, said the agency. The new system will be used to test Pelargonium spp. cuttings that do not arrive from APHIS-approved facilities for Ralstonia solanacearum, it said.
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In addition to normal inspection procedures, APHIS will test one inspectional unit of Pelargonium spp. from non-approved APHIS facilities per day on regular time using the CANARY system, it said. “Importers may expect delays in the clearance process,” said APHIS. “If a positive sample is detected, then the inspectional unit will be placed on hold until the pathogen can be confirmed as Ralstonia solanacearum R3B2 by the Beltsville, Maryland laboratory.”