Microcyclus ulei (South American Leaf Blight) is listed as a quarantine pest in Singapore. Survey of SALB in Singapore has been on-going since 1990s. Based on survey data from 2005 to 2014, the situation of Microcyclus ulei in Singapore has been officially declared as : Absent, no pest record (confirmed by survey). This report serves to update on the pest free status of Microcyclus ulei in Singapore.
The survey continued from 2015 to 2016 and focussed mainly on remaining rubber enclaves amidst the urban city and imports from SALB endemic countries. The survey of the passenger pathway via suction spore trap placed at the arrival belts at terminal 2, Changi Airport ended in Jan 2016 after more than 10 years of monitoring. The frequency of inspecting local rubber trees in enclaves was also reduced from once every 2 months to once a year. There was a noted reduction in the local rubber enclaves due to urban development while most remained in the secondary forests with limited accessibility. A total of 15 samples of rubber leaves were collected from 3 selected sites and checked to be free from SALB. Only common leaf spotting pathogens i.e Colletotrichum gloeosporioides were detected. From 2015 to 2016, Singapore imported almost 2.9 million plants, cut flowers and foliages and 17,782 tonnes of fresh fruits and vegetables from 9 SALB endemic countries. Of which, a total of 594 samples from post entry were sampled and found to be free from SALB. A total of 329 spore trap daily collections were found to be free from SALB before this survey was terminated in early 2016. Based on the results obtained from 2015 to 2016, Singapore remained free from Microcyclus ulei i.e. Singapore: Absent, no pest record ( Confirmed by survey).