Our National Priority Plant Pests (NPPP) list highlights the threats Australia faces from plant pests and diseases.
The NPPP guides national action and investment of public funds to address these threats. This effort often has broader benefits to the system than just in preparedness for the specific pest or disease. The National Priority Plant Pest is not the list that sets Australia quarantine restrictions and determines risk.
The NPPP list includes 119 pests and diseases in 37 groups. Pests and diseases are grouped together if:
- they share similar biology or potential pathways to Australia
- they share methods of surveillance and response
- their effect depends on a relationship between two pests.
Pest groups posing the greatest threat are numbered from 1 (most significant) to 10. All other pests on the list are nationally significant and are listed in alphabetical order.
Plant Health Committee endorsed the NPPP on 2 December 2024.
Top 3 pests
The top 3 National Priority Plant Pests are:
- the Xylella genus of bacteria and the vectors (insects) that carry it
- Khapra beetle
- spotted wing drosophila.
List of all NPPPs
Table 1 includes:
- all 37 groups of National Priority Plant Pests
- scientific and common names of each species
- relevant national action plan for each group.
Actions to improve the way we prepare, respond to and detect each of these pests are covered under national action plans
National Priority Plant Pests and action plans
| Ranking | Pest/pest group | Scientific name | Common name | National action plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Xylella and exotic vectors | Bacterial pathogens of the Xylella genus | Pierce's disease | Xylella |
| California vine disease | ||||
| Anaheim disease (in grapevine) | ||||
| Dwarf (in lucerne) | ||||
| Phony disease (in peach) | ||||
| Leaf scald (in plum) | ||||
| Leaf scorch (in coffee, almond, blueberry, oleander, elm, oak, plane, mulberry, maple) | ||||
| Variegated chlorosis (in citrus) | ||||
| Wilt (in periwinkle) | ||||
| Acrogonia citrina (vector) | Sharpshooter leafhopper | |||
| Acrogonia terminalis (vector) | No common name | |||
| Cicadella viridis (vector) | Green leafhopper | |||
| Dilobopterus costalimai (vector) | No common name | |||
| Draeculacephala minerva (vector) | Green sharpshooter, grass sharpshooter | |||
| Graphocephala atropunctata (vector) | Blue-green sharpshooter | |||
| Homalodisca vitripennis (vector) | Glassy winged sharpshooter | |||
| Oncometopia fascialis (vector) | No common name | |||
| Philaenus spumarius (vector) | Meadow spittlebug, meadow froghopper | |||
| Xyphon fulgidum (vector) | Redheaded sharpshooter | |||
| 2. | Khapra beetle | Trogoderma granarium | Khapra beetle | Khapra beetle |
| 3. | Spotted wing drosophila | Drosophila suzukii | Spotted wing drosophila | Spotted wing drosophila |
| 4. | Fruit flies (exotic) | High priority | Exotic fruit flies | |
| Anastrepha ludens | Mexican fruit fly | |||
| Bactrocera carambolae | Carambola fruit fly | |||
| Bactrocera dorsalis | Oriental fruit fly | |||
| Bactrocera trivialis | New Guinea fruit fly | |||
| Ceratitis capitata* | Mediterranean fruit fly | |||
| Zeugodacus cucurbitae | Melon fly | |||
| Medium priority | ||||
| Bactrocera frauenfeldi* | Mango fruit fly | |||
| Bactrocera correcta | Guava fruit fly | |||
| Bactrocera kirki | No common name | |||
| Bactrocera latifrons | Solanum fruit fly | |||
| Bactrocera tsuneonis | Citrus fruit fly, Japanese orange fly | |||
| Bactrocera zonata | Peach fruit fly | |||
| Zeugodacus tau | No common name | |||
| 5. | Karnal bunt | Tilletia indica | Karnal bunt | Broadacre crops |
| 6. | Huanglongbing and vectors | 'Candidatus Liberibacter africanus' | Huanglongbing | Horticultural crops |
| 'Candidatus Liberibacter americanus' | Huanglongbing / Greening of citrus | |||
| 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' # | Huanglongbing / Brazilian citrus greening | |||
| Diaphorina citri (vector) | Asian citrus psyllid | |||
| Trioza erytreae (vector) | African citrus psyllid | |||
| 7. | Spongy moth | Lymantria dispar and sub-species | Exotic spongy moth | Hitchhiker pests |
| Lymantria dispar asiatica | Asian spongy moth | |||
| Lymantria dispar dispar | Nth American/European spongy moth | |||
| Lymantria dispar japonica | Japanese spongy moth | |||
| Lymantria monachal | Nun moth | |||
| 8. | Stink bugs | Halyomorpha halys | Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) | Hitchhiker pests |
| Erthesina fullo | Yellow-spotted stink bug (YSSB) | |||
| 9. | Mites of bees (Apis spp.) | Acarapis woodi | Tracheal mite (internal) | Hitchhiker pests |
| Tropilaelaps clareae | Tropilaelaps mite (external) | |||
| Tropilaelaps mercedesae | Tropilaelaps mite (external) | |||
| Varroa jacobsoni | Varroa mite (external) | |||
| Varroa destructor (including exotic haplotype)* | Varroa mite (external) | |||
| 10. | Myrtle (eucalyptus) rust (exotic strains) | Austropuccinia psidii (exotic strains)# | Myrtle rust | Trees and timber |
| Banana phytoplasma diseases& | ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris’ | Banana wilt, Banana Elephantiasis Disease (BED) Banana wilt associated phytoplasma, Bogia coconut syndrome | Horticultural crops | |
| ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma novoguineense’ | Banana wilt, Banana Elephantiasis Disease | |||
| Barley stripe rust (exotic strains) | Puccinia striiformis f. sp. hordei (exotic strains) | Barley stripe rust | Broadacre crops | |
| Bees (Apis spp.) (exotic species) | Apis cerana (exotic)* | Asian honeybee (exotic) | Hitchhiker pests | |
| Apis dorsata | Giant honeybee | |||
| Apis florea | Dwarf honeybee | |||
| Apis mellifera capensis | Cape honeybee | |||
| Apis mellifera scutellata | African honeybee | |||
| Apis mellifera scutellata (hybrid) | Africanised honeybee | |||
| Blood disease and Moko disease of bananas | Ralstonia syzygii subsp. celebesensis | Banana blood disease | Horticultural crops | |
| Ralstonia solanacearum (Moko strains) | Moko disease | |||
| Begomovirus and vectors (exotic strains and species) | Begomovirus (exotic)# | Begomovirus (exotic) | Horticultural crops | |
| Bemisia tabaci (exotic, vector) | Silver leaf whitefly | |||
| Bursaphelenchus spp. and exotic sawyer beetle vectors | Bursaphelenchus cocophilus | Red ring disease (nematode) | Trees and timber | |
| Bursaphelenchus xylophilus | Pine wilt nematode | |||
| Monochamus spp. (vector) | Sawyer beetles | |||
| ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ complex | ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ (and other strains) complex# | Zebra chip, Psyllid yellows
| Horticultural crops | |
| Bactericera cockerelli (vector of Haplotype A and B), (exotic)* | Tomato/potato psyllid | |||
| Bactericera trigonica (vector of Haplotype D and E) | No common name | |||
| Trioza apicalis (vector of Haplotype C) | Carrot psyllid | |||
| Citrus canker | Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri | Citrus canker | Horticultural crops | |
| Dutch elm disease | Ophiostoma novo-ulmi | Dutch elm disease | Trees and timber | |
| Fire blight | Erwinia amylovora | Fire blight | Horticultural crops | |
| Grape phylloxera | Daktulosphaira vitifoliae* | Grape phylloxera | Horticultural crops | |
| Grapevine leaf rust | Phakopsora euvitis | Grapevine leaf rust | Horticultural crops | |
| Invasive snails (exotic species) | Lissachatina fulica | Giant African snail | Hitchhiker pests | |
| Monacha spp. | No common name | |||
| Massylaea spp. | No common name | |||
| Pomacea canaliculata | Golden (or channelled) apple snail | |||
| Caracollina spp. | No common name | |||
| Longhorn beetles (Anoplophora spp.) (exotic species). | Anoplophora chinensis | Black & white citrus longhorn | Trees and timber | |
| Anoplophora glabripennis | Asian longhorn beetle | |||
| Anoplophora malasiaca | White-spotted longhorn beetle | |||
| Panama disease | Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Tropical Race 4* | Panama disease Tropical Race 4 | Horticultural crops | |
| Phytoplasmas 16Srl group | Phytoplasmas 16Srl group | Phytoplasmas 16Srl group (aster yellows group) | Horticultural crops | |
| Pine pitch canker | Fusarium circinatum | Pine pitch canker | Trees and timber | |
| Plum pox virus | Plum pox virus | Sharka | Horticultural crops | |
| Potato cyst nematode (exotic strains) | Globodera spp. (exotic strains) | Potato cyst nematode (golden, white, or pale) | Horticultural crops | |
| Globodera pallida | Pale potato cyst nematode | |||
| Globodera rostochiensis (exotic strains) # | Golden potato cyst nematode | |||
| Potato late blight (exotic strains) | Phytophthora infestans (exotic strains) # | Potato late blight | Horticultural crops | |
| Southern armyworm | Spodoptera eridania | Southern armyworm | Broadacre crops | |
| Spotted lanternfly | Lycorma delicatula | Spotted lanternfly | Hitchhiker pests | |
| Stem borers of sugarcane and cereals (Chilo spp.) (exotic species) | Chilo auricilius | Sugarcane stalk borer |
| |
| Chilo infuscatellus | Yellow top borer of sugarcane | |||
| Chilo orichalcociliella | Coastal stem borer | |||
| Chilo partellus | Spotted stem borer | |||
| Chilo polychrysus | Dark headed striped borer | |||
| Chilo sacchariphagus | Spotted sugarcane borer | |||
| Chilo terrenellus | Sugarcane stem borer | |||
| Chilo tumidicostalis | Spotted sugar cane stem borer | |||
| Eldana saccharina | African sugarcane stalk borer | |||
| Sesamia grisescens | Pink stalk borer | |||
| Scirpophaga excerptalis | Top borer | |||
| Sudden oak death (airborne Phytophthora spp.) | Phytophthora kernoviae | Phytophthora blight | Trees and timber | |
| Phytophthora ramorum | Sudden oak death | |||
| Texas root rot | Phymatotrichopsis omnivora | Texas root rot | Broadacre crops | |
| Tobamoviruses (exotic strains) | Cucumber fruit mottle mosaic virus | CFMMV | Horticultural crops | |
| Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus* | CGMMV | |||
| Cucumber mottle virus | CMoV/CuMoV | |||
| Kyuri green mottle mosaic virus | KGMMV | |||
| Potato 14R virus | Potato 14R virus | |||
| Ribgrass mosaic virus | RMV | |||
| Tobacco mosaic virus – potato strain | TMV-P | |||
| Tomato brown rugose fruit virus | ToBRFV | |||
| Tomato mottle mosaic virus | ToMMV | |||
| Turnip-vein clearing virus | TVCV | |||
| Wasabi mottle virus | WMoV | |||
| Youcai mosaic virus | YoMV | |||
| Zucchini green mottle mosaic virus | ZGMMV | |||
| Ug99 wheat stem rust | Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (exotic strains) | Ug99 | Broadacre crops |
Legend:
* Present in Australia (including external territories)
# Strains and biotypes present in Australia
& Species within the genus present in Australia
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A pest or disease must meet 5 criteria to be a National Priority Plant Pest.
Plain English criteria
Pest definition
It must harm plants, plant products (such as seeds, flowers, fruit, nuts or grains) or bees.
Or it affects a public amenity such as parks, playgrounds, street trees or sporting grounds.
Pest status
It must not be in Australia yet, or it might have entered Australia, but be limited to a certain area and be under official control.
Under official control means that state and territory governments have measures in place to stop or slow its spread.
Pest impact
It could be hazardous to Australian economies, the environment or community. For example, if it:
- ruins food crops
- competes with native plants
- leads to travel restrictions or restrictions on transporting fruits and vegetables.
Pest entry
It could enter Australia through travelling with passengers, cargo or trade. Or it could enter naturally via plants, water or wind.
Pest establishment and spread
It could establish itself in a particular area and then spread. This can happen if its lifecycle is suited to the climate. Or suitable host insects or other creatures can carry the pest further.
Nationally coordinated action can prevent entry and spread of the pest. This action must benefit the economy, environment or community. Or it must be essential to keep Australia safe.
Pest definition
A pest is any species, strain or biotype of plant, animal or pathogenic agent (except human, weeds and parasitic plants) injurious to plants, plant products, bees or impacting social amenities.
Pest status
The pest is not currently recorded in Australia, or is present but subject to official control, either containment or eradication.
Pest impact
The pest has potential to cause significant negative impact on national economies, the environment and/or community.
Pest entry
The pest has potential pathways to reach Australian borders based on its global distribution, passenger and cargo movements, trade links with Australia, or potential for introduction through natural means.
Pest establishment and spread
The pest has the potential to establish and spread in Australia because of its biology, availability of suitable hosts, appropriate climatic conditions and internal pathways (including biological vectors).
In addition, there must be clear benefit from, or requirement for nationally coordinated action or approach.
Research highlight
AI for brown marmorated stink bug
The Brown marmorated stink bug is number 9 on the list of National Priority Plant Pests.
Identifying the stink bug at Australia’s borders is time consuming. It can delay the release of cargo and increase the risk of the pest entering the country.
To reduce these risks, we have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) app to identify stink bugs, including the Brown marmorated stink bug, in real time.
Governance
The National Priority Plant Pests are endorsed by Plant Health Committee (PHC). PHC is a government forum. It makes decisions about plant biosecurity policy to maintain or improve plant health in Australia.
PHC is the custodian of the National Priority Plant Pests and manages its reviews.
PHC endorsed the list of National Priority Plant Pests in 2016. They consulted with experts from the Commonwealth, state and territory governments, CSIRO and Plant Health Australia The NPPP was reviewed in 2019 and is reviewed every 5 years.
Other priority lists
National Priority Plant Pests are highly significant. They are often found on other priority lists. Examples include:
- The National Priority List of Exotic Environmental Pests, Weeds and Diseases
- High Priority Pests
- Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy
- Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula priority pest list
- State priority pest lists: Priority plant pests and diseases, and Priority hitchhiking pests.
Comparison of priority lists
Table 2 compares the main features of the:
- National Priority Plant Pests
- National Priority List of Exotic Environmental Pests, Weeds and Diseases (abbreviated to the Exotic Environmental Pest List)
- High Priority Pests.
These 3 lists set out agreed activities to address the risks to Australia from exotic plant pests. Each list differs in its focus, role and management.
Comparison of priority plant pests and disease lists
| National Priority Plant Pests | National Priority List of Exotic Environmental Pests, Weeds and Diseases | High Priority Pests | |
| Purpose | Guide action, collaboration and investment of public funds to address risks from nationally significant exotic plant pests and diseases | Facilitate activities that help prevent the entry, establishment and spread of exotic pests, diseases and weeds | Inform industry of key high priority exotic pest threats and allow industry and government to better prioritise and implement preparedness activities |
| Focus | National | National | Industry |
| Scope | Plant diseases Terrestrial invertebrates (i.e. insects, nematodes and snails) | Aquatic animal diseases Freshwater invertebrates Marine pests Plant diseases Terrestrial invertebrates Vertebrates Weeds and freshwater algae Native animal diseases | Plant diseases Terrestrial invertebrates |
| Review period | Updated every 5 years | Every 5 years; species may also be added or removed on an ad hoc basis when new evidence becomes available | Major review every 5 years and minor updates annually |
| Collaborators | State and territory governments Plant Health Australia | Plant Health Committee Animal Health Committee Marine Pest Sectoral Committee Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences | Plant health and biosecurity experts, industry representatives and state and territory agriculture agencies |
| Coordinated by | Commonwealth government (Plant Health Policy Branch) | Commonwealth government (Chief Environmental Biosecurity Office) | Plant Health Australia |
| Endorsed by | Plant Health Committee | Environment and Invasives Committee | Relevant peak industry body Plant Health Committee |
| Corresponding risk mitigation document/s | National action plans and implementation schedules | Implementation plan | Biosecurity plans |
| More information | National action plans Pest factsheets | Exotic Environmental Pest List | Plant Health Australia |
Get involved
Are you a researcher, industry member or interested person? If you’d like to get involved email us at plantpestpreparedness@aff.gov.au