Potato cyst nematode
(Updated 13 April 2022)
Seed potatoes in Scotland can only be planted on land which has been found to be free from potato cyst nematodes (Globodera rostochiensis and G. pallida) following a statutory pre-planting soil test. More information can be found at Potato Cyst Nematodes on the SASA website.
Some importing countries have additional requirements regarding the absence of PCN from the field in which the seed crop for export is to be grown, or may stipulate a test of soil from tubers of the lot prepared for marketing. In some cases, there are also requirements for the export of ware crops similar to those for seed.
Additional export testing requirements are in place for the following countries and information on these can be accessed below:
Seed potatoes: pre-planting soil test
Some importing countries have additional requirements regarding the minimum distance of potato cyst nematode findings from the field where the seed crop for export is grown.
The following table list the countries with such additional requirements for PCN.
| Importing country | Potato cyst nematode requirement |
|---|---|
| Bangladesh | not found within 5 km within the last 12 months |
| Pakistan | not found within 2 km within the last 12 months |
Seed potatoes: pre-harvest soil test
Israel has additional requirements regarding potato cyst nematode soil testing. PCN soil samples must be taken no more than 10 months before planting or during the current potato seed crop growth close to harvest or directly after harvest of the current potato seed crop.
Kenya and Tanzania have additional requirements regarding soil testing for several nematode species. Soil samples must be taken no more than 12 months prior to planting and export respectively.
Please note: any land which fails a field test conducted by RPID/SASA for PCN, at any point in the season, will be recorded as infested.
Ware potatoes: field soil test
Certain countries require the field in which ware potatoes for export are grown to be free from potato cyst nematode (PCN). These countries are:
Albania, Algeria, Belarus, Canary Islands, Croatia, Ghana, Iceland, Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Moldova, Morocco, Norway, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Serbia, St Lucia, Syria, Thailand, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates.
Please note: any land which fails a field test conducted by RPID/SASA for PCN, at any point in the season, will be recorded as infested.
If the land, in which the potatoes being exported as ware were grown, has not undergone the statutory pre-planting test for PCN, a consignment test must be carried out.
Seed and ware potatoes: consignment test
Seed and ware consignments to certain countries require any soil or other loose material contained within a random sample of bags to be tested for PCN. This is because soil is the main method by which PCN cysts are carried on tubers.
These countries are:
Seed: Brazil, Cuba, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Malawi, Nigeria, Pakistan, Uruguay, Syria
Ware: Albania, Algeria, Belarus, Canary Islands, Croatia, Ghana, Iceland, Israel, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Moldova, Morocco, Nigeria, Norway, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Serbia, St Lucia, Syria, Thailand, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates
Please note that a charge for consignment testing for PCN will apply.