Argentina declares another “phytosanitary alert” to prevent the entry into the country of a parasitic sunflower pest

The Orobanche or sunflower blight is a parasitic plant that seriously threatens sunflower cultivation in Argentina. The presence of this plant pest was detected in Bolivia, on the other side of the border, and that triggered the National Service of Agri-Food Health and Quality (Senasa), which had already been anticipating this situation, to declare this Friday the state of “phytosanitary alert” throughout the country. “The Phytosanitary Alert is declared throughout the National Territory until May 31, 2027, with respect to the Orobanche cumana pest, based on which prevention, detection, containment and eradication actions must be adopted and/or strengthened,” said the president of Senasa, Pablo Cortese, in Resolution 1347/2024, which was published in the Official Gazette. .Orobanche is an erect plant of 40-65 centimeters, formed by a pubescent-glandular stem, generally yellowish or whitish, with outlines of scale-like leaves without chlorophyll. It comes into contact with the root ...