EU approved emergency use of PMV®-01 vaccine to protect tomato

In December 2015, the French, German and Swiss authorities have granted, at the request of local tomato growers, a 120-days emergency authorization for the use of PMV®-01 to protect tomato plants against damage caused by Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV). 

 

Earlier that year, the Belgian, Dutch and Moroccan authorities had already given permission to start using PMV®-01 during the tomato season 2015-2016.
 

PepMV was first found in Peru in 1974 on pepino (Solanum muricatum), an edible fruit known as pear melon. In 1999, the disease was found for the first time outside of South America, in greenhouse tomato crops in the Netherlands. Subsequently, its incidence in greenhouse tomato crops was reported in several other European countries and in North America. However, tests have shown that the PepMV discovered in Europe is different from the original PepMV reported in Peru which does not show symptoms on tomato. 
 

After eight years of scientific research and more than 2000 hectares of good practical results, the PMV®-01 vaccination strategy becomes available to an increasing number of growers in Europe and beyond. The recognition of the active substance in the European Union was published on 17 July 2015.

 

The PMV®-01 vaccination strategy of DCM Corporation protects tomato plants against production and quality losses associated with aggressive PepMV infections.