**United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service**  **Plant Protection and Quarantine**



## Risk Managem **ent Document**



## Importation of Fresh Pepper Fruit

**– Capsicum annuum**  **L., Capsicum baccatum**  **L., Capsicum chinense**  **Jacq., Capsicum**  **frutescens L., and**  **Capsicum pubescens Ruiz & Pav.** 

**– from**  **Peru into the**  **Continental United States**  **and Territories**

**July 10 ,**  **2012**

**Plant Health Programs (PHP) Regulations, Permits and**  **Manuals (RPM) Contact Person:**  **Meredith Jones Introduction** 

This risk management document was prepared by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHI S ) to provide risk management strategies for the importation of peppers from Peru following the development of a commodity
- based, pathway
- initiated risk analy sis (PRA) that was conducted by APHIS (USDA, 20 1 2 )
. APHI S prepared a PRA to examine plant pest risks associated with the importation of fresh pepper ( Capsicum spp., specificall y the domesticated species Capsicum annuum L. , C. baccatum L., C. chinense Jacq
. , C. frutescens L., and C. pubescens Ruiz & Pav.) fruit with out leaves or stems in response to a request by the government of Peru ( Barrenechea, 2009 ; USDA , 2012 )
. Th e PRA considered the risk associated with the import ation of several species of Capsicum ( C. annuum , C. baccatum , C. chinense, C. frutescens, and C. pubescens ) because of taxonomic uncertainty regarding the species status (Walsh & Hoot, 2001) and because wild populations of C. annuum merge with populations of C. frutescens and C. chinense ( Eshbaugh, 1993 ). There is a wide overlap of common name usage among all domesticated Capsicum species (Bosland, 1996) so two other cultivated species ( C. baccatum and C. pubescens ) were also included in the PRA (USDA, 2012 )
. The PRA was prepared based on pest interception data, scientific literature, and information provided by the Government of Peru
. The PRA found four quarantine pests that may follow the pathway of fresh peppers fruit with out leaves or stems from Peru into the United States (USDA, 20 1 2 ) . The pest list include s three insects and one fungus
. **Arthropods** Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) Neoleucinodes elegantalis (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) **Fungi** Puccinia pampeana Speg. (Urediniom ycet es: Uredinales) The PRA rated three pests as **High** pest risk potential (the insects Anastrepha fraterculus and Ceratitis capitata , and the fungus Puccinia pampeana )
. The PRA rated the Lepidoptera Neoleucinodes elegantalis with **Medium** pest risk potential. According to USDA guidelines for pathway initiated pest risk assessments (USDA, 2000 ) , s pecific phy tosanitary measures beyond port of entry inspection are strongl y recommended for pests with **High** pest risk potentials, and phy tosanitary measures may

be necessary

for pests with **Medium** pest risk potential. **Risk Mitigation Measures**  Fresh pepper ( Capsicum spp.) fruits with out leaves or stems may be imported into the continental United States and territories from Peru only under the following conditions:(1) The peppers must be grown in approved production sites registered with the National Plant

Protection Organization (NPPO ) of Peru
. Initial approval of the production sites will be completed jointly

by the Peruvian NPPO and APHI S. The Peruvian NPPO will visit and inspect the production sites monthly , starting 2 months before harvest and continuing through until the end of the shipping season. APHI S may monitor the production sites at any time during this period. Peppers may

be imported in commercial consignments only
. All program records must be maintained by

the NPPO for at least one ye ar and made available for APHI S review if required
. (2) Pepper production sites must consist of pest
- exclusionary greenhouses, which must have double self

- closing doors and have all other openings and vents covered with 1.6 mm (or less) screening. (3) Registered sites must contain traps for the detection of Ceratitis capitata ( Medfl y) and Anastrepha fraterculus both within and around the production site. ( a) Traps with approved protein bait must be placed inside the greenhouses at a density of four traps per hectare, with a minimum of two traps per greenhouse. Traps must be serviced on a weekly

basis. (b ) If a single Medfl y or Anastrepha fraterculus is detected inside a registered production site or in a consignment, the registered production site will lose its ability to export peppers to the United States until APHI S and the Peruvian NPPO mutually determine that risk mitigation is achieved. ( c ) Medfly

traps with an approved lure must be placed inside a buffer area 500 meters wide around the registered production site, at a density of 1 trap per 10 hectares and a minimum of 1 0 traps. These traps must be checked at least every 7 day s. At least one of these traps must be near the greenhouse. Traps must be set for at least 2 months before export and trapping must continue to the end of the harvest. ( d) Capture of 0.7 or more Medflies per trap per week will delay or suspend the harvest, depending on whether harvest has begun, for consignments of peppers from that production site until APHI S and the Peruvian NPPO can agree that the pest risk has been mitigated. (4 ) The greenho use must be inspected prior to harvest for Neoleucinodes elegantalis and the fungus Puccinia pampeana
. If any of these pests or other quarantine pests is found to be generall y infesting or infecting the greenhouse, export from that production site will be halted until the Peruvian NPPO determines that the pest risk has been mitigated. (5 ) The Peruvian NPPO must maintain records of trap placement, checking of traps, and any fruit fly captures. The Peruvian NPPO must maintain an APHI S
- approved quality control program to monitor or audit the trapping program. The trapping records must be maintained for at last one ye ar and made available, if required, for APHIS' review.(6 ) The peppers must be packed w ithin 24 hours of harvest in a pest
- exclusionary packinghouse. The peppers must be safeguarded b y an insect
- proof mesh screen or plastic tarpaulin while in transit to the packinghouse and while awaiting packing. Peppers must be packed in sealed containers or insect
- proof cartons or covered with insect
- proof mesh or plastic tarpaulin for transit to the United States. These safeguards must remain intact until arrival in the United States or the consignment will be denied entry into the United States. (7 ) D uring the time the packinghouse is in use for exporting peppers to the United States, the packinghouse may

accept peppers onl y from registered approved production sites. (8 ) The Peruvian NPPO is responsible for export certification, inspection, and issuan ce of phy tosanitary certificates. Each consignment of peppers must be accompanied by a phy tosanitary certificate issued by

the NPPO of Peru bearing the following additional declaration : “ P eppers in this consignment were grown in a pest free place of produ ction for Anastrepha fraterculus and Ceratitis capitata , and has been inspected and found free of quarantine pests.” The shipping box must be labeled with the identity of the production site. **Efficacy of**  **Risk M itigation**  **Measures** Establishment of pest - free places of production obviates the need for post
- harvest commodity treatments to achieve phy tosanitary security ( IP PC 1996; 1999). Pest free places of production have been used successfully to prevent infestation by Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfl y) and Anastrepha fraterculus for peppers of the species Capsicum annuum , Capsicum baccatum , Capsicum chinense

, and Capsicum frutescens in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua since 2005
. No pests of quarantine significance have been intercepted b y APH IS on peppers imported from those countries using this sy stems approach (AQAS , 20 11 )
. Outbreaks of Lepidoptera pests in pest exclusionary structures can be readily detected, and are rare under good agricultural practices. Lepidoptera larvae ( such as Neoleucinodes elegantalis ) leave visible signs when boring into the pepper fruit which makes detection upon inspection likely ( Eiras & Blackmer, 2003; EPPO, 2011 ). Pu ccinia pampeana produce s conspicuous s ymptoms and signs (Agrios, 2004; Hernández & Hennen, 200 3; Lindquist, 1982 ) that are easil y recognizable on inspections in Peru as well as at U.S. port s of entry

inspections. I f the sites are found to be infected by quarantine diseases , the Peruvian NPPO may

allow export s from the production site only after the determination that the risk mitigation has been achieved
. Peru peppers produced under this sy stems approach will also be subject to packing house inspecti on and inspection by the Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the U.S. ports of entry
. Infested or infected fruit will be rejected, and trace back will be accomplished by APHIS and the NPPO of Peru to identify and correct problems including removal of the packinghouse or area of production from the export program. A sy stems approach can provide an alternative to a single measure to meet the appropriate level ofphy

tosanitary protection, or can be developed to provide phy tosanitary protection in situations in which no single measure is available (IPPC, 2002). Fresh peppers from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua have been produced and exp orted to the United States under a s ys tems approach for fruit flies for over four ye ars with no interceptions of quarantine pests (AQAS , 20 11 ). Pest
- exclusionary

greenhouses remove pests from production sites and culling removes damaged and infest ed

/infe cted fruit at the packing house. As part of a s ys tems approach these measures are effective at lowering pest populations. No fruit flies have been intercepted on produce coming from pest exclusionary structures in any

of the programs for peppers or tomato es. **Summary** There are several risk management measures available for the high and medium risk pests identified above that will permit the importation of pepper from Peru while satisfying the appropriate level of phyt osanitary protection for the United States. A s ys tems approach utilizing pest - exclusion greenhouse as described above , employing a combination of measures acting independentl y , also mitigates risk and provides an acceptable level of phy tosanitary protection. P est - free places of production as well as packinghouse and port of entry inspections provide the level of phyt osanitary

security required b y the United States.
**Au thors**  Walter Gould, Senior Risk Manager APHI S
- PPQ Jos é R. Hern ández, Senior Risk Manager APHI S
- PPQ**References**

Agrios, G. N. 2004. Plant Pathology . Fifth Edition. Department of Plant Pathology University

of Florida, Elsevier Academic Press, San Diego. 922 pp. AQAS . 2011
. Agricultural Quarantine Activity System Pest Interception Database. USDA
APHI S
- PPQ. Last accessed July 2011. Barrenechea, J. 2009. USDA Letter 04
- 11
- 2009. Pages 2 in . Servicio Nacional de Sanidad Agraria (SENASA). Dirección General de Sanidad Vegetal, Lima, Peru. Bosland, P. W. 1996. Capsicums: Innovative uses of an ancient crop. Pages 479
- 487 in J. Janick, (ed.). Progress in new crops. ASHS Press, Arlington, VA. U.S.A. Eiras, A.E. and J.L . Blackmer. 2003. E closion time and larval behavior of the to mato fruit borer, Neoleucinodes elegantalis (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)
. Scientia Agricola 60 ( 1 ): 195
- 197
. EPPO. 2011. Spodoptera littoralis and Spodoptera litura. Data sheets on quarantine pests. European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Org anization. http://www.eppo.org/QUARANTINE/insects/Spodoptera_litura/PRODLI_ds.pdf accessed July

2011. Eshbaugh, W. H. 1993. Peppers: History and exploitation of a serendipitous new crop discovery
. Pages 132
- 139 in J. Janick and J. E. Simon, (eds.). New Crops. Wiley , New York, U.S.A. Hernández, J.R. and Hennen J.F. 2003. Rust fungi causing galls, witch’s brooms, and other abnormal plant growths in Northwestern Argentina. Mycologia 95:728
- 755. IPPC. 1996. Requirements for the establishment of pest free areas. International Standards for Phy tosanitary Measures No. 4. Rome: Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention, United Nations Food and Agri culture Organization. IPPC. 1999. Requirements for the establishment of pest free places of production and pest free production sites. International Standards for Phy tosanitary Measures No. 10. Rome: Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. IPPC. 2002. The use of integrated measures in a systems approach for pest risk management. International Standards for Phy tosanitary Measures No. 14. Rome: Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.Lindquist J.C. 1982. Royas de la República Argentina y zonas limítrofes. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Buenos Aires. 574 pp. Natwick, E.T. and J.T. Trumble. 2009. UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines: Peppers UC ANR Publication 3460 In sects and Mites
. http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r604300711.html accessed July 2011. USDA. 2000. Guidelines for Pathway
- Initiated Pest Risk Assessments, Version 5.02. USDA, APHI S, PPQ
. 31pp. USDA . 20 1 2
. Importation of Fresh Pepper Fruit

– Capsicum annuum L. , Capsicum baccatum L., Capsicum chinense Jacq., Capsicum frutescens L., and Capsicum pubescens Ruiz & Pav.

– from Peru into the Continental United States and Territories
. A Pathway
- Initiated Risk Analy sis. June 26 , 20 1 2
. Plant Epidemiology and Risk Analy sis Laboratory , Center for Plant Health Science and Technology , Plant Protection and Quarantine, Animal and Plant H ealth Inspection Service. 8 5 pp. Walsh, B. M., and S. B. Hoot. 2001. Phylogenetic relationships of Capsicum (Solanaceae) using DNA sequences from two noncoding regions: the chloroplast atpB
- rbcL spacer region and nuclear wax y introns. International Journ al of Plant Sciences 1 62 :1409
- 1418.