VALITEST has prepared and organised two rounds of test performance studies. The first round has included combinations of pest/test/matrix, prioritised based on the expertise of the project consortium partners for the following pests: Erwinia amylovora, Pantoea stewartii subsp. stewartii, citrus tristeza virus, plum pox virus, Fusarium circinatum and Bursaphelenchus xylophilus. The second round has included six pests selected based on the results of the survey organised in the framework of WP4. This prioritisation process has been implemented in such a way that the project's validation actions are in line with the needs of the stakeholders and of the market. The selected pests were: tomato brown rugose fruit virus, tomato spotted wilt virus, plum pox virus (on site testing), Xanthomonas citri pv. citri, Xylophilus ampelinus and Cryphonectria parasitica.
To maximise the impact of the project, calls of interest have been organised in order to include in the TPS programme, kits from suppliers outside of the consortium and to allow participation in the TPS of interested proficient laboratories. In total the performance of 83 tests covering 11 pests and including about 10,000 samples were analyzed during the two rounds of TPS. The framework and associated documentation for the selection of tests, the selection of laboratories, the organisation of TPS and the analysis of the results has been created. The experience gained by TPS organisers will be shared in a book to be published in Springer.
An improved framework, proposing new statistical tools to be used for the analysis of validation data and guidelines to ensure the reliability of the results obtained with high-throughput sequencing have been prepared and will be used to revise relevant EPPO Standards (PM 7/98 and PM 7/122) or draft new Standards.
A list of general minimum criteria for the production of reference material to be used in interlaboratory studies (including validations through TPS) has been developed as well as a general standard operating procedure for the production of reference material for use in plant health diagnostics. These results have been used to draft a new EPPO Standard on the production of reference material.
In order to assess the demand for current and future tests, two surveys were organised. The analysis of the data has allowed the prioritisation of pests and their selection for the organisation of the second round of TPS. Collected data will be further used to assess the impact of validation.
In order to optimize proficiency evaluation for a horizontal assessment, the needs and views of laboratories on possible horizontal proficiency tests have been identified through a survey sent to laboratories registered in the EPPO database on diagnostic expertise. Discussions with accreditation bodies have started on a possible plant health approach regarding the level and frequency of proficiency testing in laboratories.
Three series of webinars and training activities have been organised in the framework of VALITEST: one on the concept of test validation in Plant Health, one on the organisation of TPS and one on the guidelines for the development, validation and routine use of High Throughput Sequencing (HTS) tests for diagnostics of plant pests. Moreover, the validation section from the EPPO Database on diagnostic expertise (a key dissemination tool for the outputs of the project) was improved to a more searchable and user-friendly database.
An EU Association of the Plant Health Diagnostic Industry (EPDIA) has been established to ensure the market sustainability of the SMEs by facilitating dialogue with stakeholders and decision makers. In parallel to the establishment of EPDIA, an EU Plant Health Diagnostics Charter describing the quality procedures for the production and the validation of commercial tests produced by EU manufacturers has been developed. This Charter will contribute to guarantee the quality and the reliability of the products to the end-users worldwide. Manufacturers’ adhesion to EPDIA and to the Charter will permit SMEs to increase their competitiveness.
