ISTA Reference Pest List - version 15 (2026-01)
Description
A list of seed-borne and seed transmitted pathogens associated with seed of 45 non-vegetable species : Amaranthaceae (amaranth), Amaryllidaceae (garlic), Araucariaceae (Araucaria spp.), Asteraceae (sunflower, nyger), Brassicaceae (rapeseed), Caricaceae (papaya), Cucurbitaceae (ash gourd), Cupressaceae (false cypress, red cedar), Fabaceae (alfalfa, chickpea, lentil, lupin, soybean), Fagaceae (chestnut, oak), Juglandaceae (walnut), Lythraceae (pomegranate), Malvaceae (cotton, roselle), Moringaceae (drumstick tree), Pinaceae (cedar, Douglas firs, firs, pines, spruces), Poaceae (barley, millets, oat, rice, sorghum, triticale, wheat), Rosaceae (almond, apple, Apricot, cherry, peach, pear, plum), Rubiaceae (coffee), Rutaceae (Citrus spp.), Salicaceae (poplar), Solanaceae (potato)
Check the website for the description of the list https://www.seedtest.org/en/services-header/tools/seed-health-committee/ista-reference-pest-list.html
Organisms included in the lists
- The ISTA Reference Pest List includes bacteria, fungi, oomycetes, virus and nematodes pathogenic to seed crops.
- Pests without a scientific evidence that they are seed-borne are not included in the ISTA Reference Pest List. They could be included once evidence will be proven.
- Some saprotrophs are also included when scientific literature illustrates their seed-borne status, but for those organisms, the final decision about seed as a pathway of dissemination is not applicable (N/A), as they do not induce diseases.
- In case of emerging pests, they could be included in the lists as soon as they are suspected to be at risk for seed trade, even if their seed-borne, and eventually seed-transmitted status is not fully stated. In these cases, literature survey will be conducted to share the most up-to-date knowledge and it will be indicated in the lists (pest categorization under investigation).
No evidence list (new)
- This list contains pests that were included in the last version of the Annotated list of seed-borne diseases (4th ed.; 1990), but that lack evidence of seed-borne status in the scientific literature. These pests will be regularly checked for information on their abilitiy to be seedborne.
Organisms
- Abies
- Allium sativum
- Amaranthus
- Araucaria
- Avena sativa
- Benincasa hispida
- Brassica napus
- Carica papaya
- Castanea dentata
- Castanea mollissima
- Castanea sativa
- Cedrus
- Cenchrus americanus
- Chamaecyparis
- Cicer arietinum
- Citrus
- Coffea
- Cryptomeria japonica
- Eleusine coracana
- Glycine max
- Gossypium
- Guizotia abyssinica
- Helianthus annuus
- Hibiscus sabdariffa
- Hordeum vulgare
- Juglans hindsii
- Juglans nigra
- Juglans regia
- Juglans regia var. orientis
- Juniperus virginiana
- Lupinus albus
- Lupinus angustifolius
- Lupinus cosentinii
- Lupinus digitatus
- Lupinus hispanicus
- Lupinus luteus
- Lupinus mutabilis
- Lupinus pilosus
- Lupinus polyphyllus
- Malus
- Malus domestica
- Medicago sativa
- Moringa oleifera
- Oryza sativa
- Panicum hirticaule
- Panicum miliaceum
- Panicum sumatrense
- Picea
- Pinus
- Populus deltoides
- Populus trichocarpa
- Prunus armeniaca
- Prunus avium
- Prunus besseyi
- Prunus cerasifera
- Prunus cerasus
- Prunus domestica
- Prunus dulcis
- Prunus maackii
- Prunus mahaleb
- Prunus padus
- Prunus persica
- Prunus salicina
- Prunus serotina
- Prunus tomentosa
- Pseudotsuga menziesii
- Punica granatum
- Pyrus
- Pyrus communis
- Quercus agrifolia
- Quercus garryana
- Quercus glauca
- Quercus ilex
- Quercus parvula
- Quercus robur
- Quercus suber
- Quercus variabilis
- Quercus wislizenii
- Setaria italica
- Solanum acaule
- Solanum etuberosum
- Solanum palustre
- Solanum tuberosum
- Sorghum
- Thuja plicata
- Triticum
- Vicia lens
- x Triticosecale
Hosts
- Abies
- Allium sativum
- Amaranthus
- Araucaria
- Avena sativa
- Benincasa hispida
- Brassica napus
- Carica papaya
- Castanea dentata
- Castanea mollissima
- Castanea sativa
- Cedrus
- Cenchrus americanus
- Chamaecyparis
- Cicer arietinum
- Citrus
- Coffea
- Cryptomeria japonica
- Eleusine coracana
- Glycine max
- Gossypium
- Guizotia abyssinica
- Helianthus annuus
- Hibiscus sabdariffa
- Hordeum vulgare
- Juglans hindsii
- Juglans nigra
- Juglans regia
- Juglans regia var. orientis
- Juniperus virginiana
- Lupinus albus
- Lupinus angustifolius
- Lupinus cosentinii
- Lupinus digitatus
- Lupinus hispanicus
- Lupinus luteus
- Lupinus mutabilis
- Lupinus pilosus
- Lupinus polyphyllus
- Malus
- Malus domestica
- Medicago sativa
- Moringa oleifera
- Oryza sativa
- Panicum hirticaule
- Panicum miliaceum
- Panicum sumatrense
- Picea
- Pinus
- Populus deltoides
- Populus trichocarpa
- Prunus armeniaca
- Prunus avium
- Prunus besseyi
- Prunus cerasifera
- Prunus cerasus
- Prunus domestica
- Prunus dulcis
- Prunus maackii
- Prunus mahaleb
- Prunus padus
- Prunus persica
- Prunus salicina
- Prunus serotina
- Prunus tomentosa
- Pseudotsuga menziesii
- Punica granatum
- Pyrus
- Pyrus communis
- Quercus agrifolia
- Quercus garryana
- Quercus glauca
- Quercus ilex
- Quercus parvula
- Quercus robur
- Quercus suber
- Quercus variabilis
- Quercus wislizenii
- Setaria italica
- Solanum acaule
- Solanum etuberosum
- Solanum palustre
- Solanum tuberosum
- Sorghum
- Thuja plicata
- Triticum
- Vicia lens
- x Triticosecale
Files
| Type | File | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Pest Risk Analysis | Download | 955,75kB |
| Pest Risk Analysis | Link to file |
