Narcissus bulb quarantine revoked

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UNITED STATaS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine ~ «iv =«&
Washington, De Ce | ,

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j January 14, 1935.

J NARCISSUS BULB QUARANTINE REVOKED
way Secretary Wallace announced today that domestic quarantine Noe 62, issued
July 1926 to prevent the interstate spread of certain injurious bulb pests, will
be revoked, effective April 1, 1935.

Following the restrictions on the importation of narcissus bulbs, which
were placed in effect in January 1926 for the purpose of preventing the further
introduction of certain foreign bulb pests, it was deemed advisable to establish
@ domestic narcissus bulb quarantine to prevent the further dissemination of these
pests, namely, the bulb -eelworm, the greater bulb fly, and the lesser bulb fly,
to areas not then known to be infested; and to prevent reintroduction into areas
in which attempts were being made to effect eradicatione This quarantine became
effective in July 1926 and was amended in June 19%2 to eliminate the lesser bulb
fly, which had proved to be of secondary importante as a pest of narcissus bulbs.

Attempts at general eradication have not been successful, the pests oce
curring year after year in most areas where such attempts have been made. Fure
thermore, both the eelworm and the greater bulb fly have become more widespread,
now being established in commercial narcissus-bulb plantings in many States in
addition to the ones in which they were known to occur at the time the quarantine
was established,

These pests attack various native hosts other than narcissus bulbs, the
bulb eelworm having been determined in over fifty native plants--both cultivated
and wild--which were submitted to the United States Department of Agriculture
for examination from varicus localities in 42 different States.

In view of the now known wide distribution in the United States of the
bulb eelworm and the greater bulb fly, and of the wide renge of hosts attacked,
especially by the ecelworm, thus making their eradication apparently impractica~
ble, as well as the wide occurrence of certain other pests of narcissus bulbs,
it is felt that Federal quarantine regulations cannot longer serve the purpose
for which they were originally intended, and their continuance therefore is not
only no longer justifiable but, since this problem is now one best adapted to
State control, the existence of the type of Federal quarantine regulations now
in force tends to obstruct effective State actions

The removal cf this querantine leaves to interested States freedom of
action in the establishment of such State restrictions as they may deem advisablee

EE A. STRONG,

Chief, Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantinés

UNITED STATES DaPARTMENT OF AGHICULTURE,
Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine, ,
Washington, De Ce Lipr

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UNLIMITED ENTRY OF FOREIGI NARCISSUS BULBS AUTHORIZED —
EFFECTIVE DECEMFER 15, 1936

At the conclusion of the plant quarantine conference held by the
Department on May ih, lyce, for, the purpose of considering the classes of
plants to be adnitted mi oho limit as to quantity end utilization under
Regulation 4 of Cuarantine 47, the’ Nursery Sto ck, Plant, and Seed Quarantine,
it was agreed that the bulb item under this eeuiation BAe be considered
in detail at a conference to be held in the fall of thet year. This con»
ference with the importers was held on October 40, 1922, and on December e2

1922, it was announced that the unlimited entry of narcissus bulbs would ay

authorized for a period not to exceed 4 years, beginning January 1, 19246

In making this announcement the Department stated: "Information end
through inspection of import shipments of bulbs since 1919 indicates thet
there is a considerable element of danger in such.importations in that they
carry insect pests, the risk of establishment of which in this: country cannot
be entirely eliminated by inspection and disinfection. That risk inereasss
directly with the volume, variety, and diversity of origin of the imports.
Continuance of this risk through such imports is, therefore, only justified
for such reasonable time as may be required to establish the commercial
production of the several important species of bulbs in this countrye"

The principal pests responsible for this:conclusion were the bulb eel~
worm, Anguillulina dipsaci, formerly called Tylenchus dipsaci, the greater
bulb fly, Merodon “equestr tris, and the lesser puLb fly, Bumerus strigatus, all

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of which at that at time appeared to be restrieted as to distr ibution in this
country e

On November 16, 1925, a third public conference wes held for the full
consideration of the bulb subject --- the fourth, if the original hearing of
1918 which was the basis of quarentine 37, is included. .

| After'careful consideration of the facts developed at this conference,
it was publicly announced thet the restrictions on the entry of narcis sus
bulbs authorized 4 years previously would go into effect January l, 19266
In m@king this announcement the Department stated: "The evidence available
at present indicates that none of the three importent pests usually associ~
ated with imported narcissus bulbs has yet become so well established in the
country as to make control measures useless. A review of the present
situation indicates thet even in the districts where they have gained a foote

“hold they may’ be materially controlled and possibly eradicated, especially in

the case of the two bulb flies. We are going to give these districts a
chance to clesn upe They have promised to. do so and the Department will ins
sist thet this be done at the earliest date possible."

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To aid in the effort to control and possibly eradicate these three
pests the Department on July 4, 1926, promulgated Domestic Narcissus Bulb
Quarantine No. 62. As an additional safeguard to prevent further distribu-
tion of these pests in this country, all shipments of narcissus bulbs im=
ported under permit in limited quantities tor propagation purposes were
given the hot-water treatment under the supervision of inspectors of this
Departmente rom time to time certain varieties were rejected because of
their availabiiity in this country, the theory being that it was unwise to
accept further risk of introducing the pests in question with these varietiess

On Jenuary 29, 1941, a conference was held to review the plant pest
Situation with respect to narcissus bulbs and to consider the advisability
of modifying the present restrictions on the entry from foreign countries and
interstate movement of these bulbs. Consideration was also given to this
subject at the conference held October 25, 1944, to reexamine the underlying
principles involved in the interpretation and’ enforcenent of the Nursery
Stock, Plant, end Seed Quarantine Noe 4Ve

The above briefly outlines the history of the various steps leading to
the present restrictions on harcissus ‘bulbse

The bulb Be are 16 now : known to be cosmopolitan in distribution, ate
tacking some 240 odd hosts, 57 of which have been found to be infested in the
United Statese The hosts in this country include bulbs, tubers, wild and
native plantse Despite the. fact that no special effort has been made to
determine the distribution of the bulb eelworm in the United States, it is of
record as occurring in 42 States and it is reasonable to assume that it ¢ould
be located in others if an effort were made.e Not only does the bulb eelworm
have a much wider distribution and a mich greater host list than wes thought
to be the case when the restrictions were placed, but it elso has been found
to infest hyacinths, tulips, and lily-of-theevalley pips, ali of which are
now end have since 1919 been admitted er permit and inspection in unlimited
quantities for any purpose. Furthermo it has been taken in the following
vegetables: Carrots, onions, garlic, pas (Museari), which are admitted
from foreign countries under the Fruit and Vegeteble Quarantine Noe Oe

_ The records of field inspections made in 1943 in accordance with the
provisions of Quarantine No. 62 (the results of the 1944 inspections are not
yet available) resulted in the finding of the bulb eelworm in commercial nar-
cissus plantings in 15 States (California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland,
Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Ten=
nessee, Virginia, and Wasiington) which comprise for the most part the princi-
pal narcissus producing arease In addition to the records for the year 1944)
the bulb eelworm had previously besn reported on properties in Alabama, Indiana,
Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Rhode Island, Uteh, and wWisconsine

The greater. bulb fly has been taken in 12 States and the field inspee=
tion made in 1944 revealed its presence in commercial narcissus plantings in
8 Stetes eb sunaiaa] Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Penn-
sylvania, and Washington). In previous years it was collected in Illinois,
Rhode Island, Utah, and Virginiae In addition to narcissus it has been col»
lected in imported hyacinths and cipollinoe

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Information which has been assembled in recent years indicates that
the lesser bulb fly is not the pest it was believed to be at the time the
restrictions were placed on foreign and domestic narcissus bulbs and as a
consequence in the administration of Quarantine No. 62 it is now disregardede
It has been reported to occur in 24 States, In addition to the narcissus
it has been collected in foreign shipments of hyacinths, lily, iris, cipol~
dino, and onionse

The bulb eelworm and the greater bulb fly, not indluding the lesser
bulb fly which as previously stated is not now regarded es a pest, despite
the restrictions, foreign and domestic, which have been in effect since 1926,
now have a wider distribution in this country than was known to be the case
at that time. Both of these pests also arrive from foreign countries in
bulbs which are admitted in unlimited quantities under Regulation 4 of quar-
antine 37« Obviously, if the present restrictions on narcissus bulbs were
to be continued they should be aynplied with equal force to ali other bulbs
and plants known to be hosts of the bulb eelworm and the greater bulb flye
In view of the known distribution of these pests in the United States, the
wide variety of hosts attacked with the resultant hopelessness of bringing
about their eradication, especially the eelworm, this action is regarded as
biologically unsound from a plant quarantine standpointe In point of fact
the evidence at hand clearly indicates thet the establishment of these pests
in this country is now so widespread end so impossible of eradication by any
reasonable means that such reinfestation as may take place with unlimited
importations under permit and inspection at the time of importation of cer~
tified bulbs will have no bearing on their control. In other words, the
opportunity of eradication of these pests has passede Moreover, pests
equally as important, if not more so, than ths ones which prompted the placing
of restrictions are now widely distributed in this country. In view of this
condition the unlimited entry of narcissus bulbs under permit and subject to
inspection beginning December 15, 1936, is authorizede All such importations,
in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 7 of Quarantine 37 shall be
accompanied by a certificate certifying that they have been thoroughly ine
spected at the time of packing and found or believed to be free from injurious
plant diseases and insect pestse Inspections at ports of entry will be made
to prevent tiiis country being made the dumping ground of infested or infected
narcissus bulbs, and any such shipments offered for entfywill be rejected.

Deferring the effective date for two years is for the purpose of pere
mitting those adjustments made necessary by the removal of the restrictions

and is in accord with the procedure followed in 1922 in announcing the placing
of restrictions to be effective three years later.

LEE A. STRONG,

Chief, Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine.