AnEPPO code, formerly known as aBayer code, is anencoded identifier that is used by theEuropean and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO), in a system designed to uniquely identifyorganisms – namelyplants,pests andpathogens – that are important toagriculture andcrop protection. EPPO codes are a core component of adatabase of names, both scientific andvernacular. Although originally started by theBayer Corporation, the official list of codes is now maintained by EPPO.

All codes and their associated names are included in a database (EPPO Global Database). In total, there are over 93,500species listed in the EPPO database, including:^[1]

• 55,000 species of plants (e.g.cultivated, wild plants andweeds)
• 27,000 species of animals (e.g.insects,mites,nematodes,rodents), biocontrol agents
• 11,500 microorganism species (e.g.bacteria,fungi,viruses, viroids and virus-like)

Plants are identified by a five-letter code, other organisms by a six-letter one. In many cases the codes aremnemonic abbreviations of thescientific name of the organism, derived from the first three or four letters of thegenus and the first two letters of thespecies.^[2] For example, corn, or maize (Zea mays), was assigned the code "ZEAMA"; the code for potato late blight (Phytophthora infestans) is "PHYTIN". The unique and constant code for each organism provides a shorthand method of recording species. The EPPO code avoids many of the problems caused by revisions to scientific names and taxonomy which often result in different synonyms being in use for the same species. When the taxonomy changes, the EPPO code stays the same.^[2] The EPPO system is used by governmental organizations, conservation agencies, and researchers.^[3][4]

Wikidata has the property:

• EPPO Code (P3031) (seeuses)

• EPPO Global Database (lookup EPPO codes)
• EPPO Data Services (download EPPO codes)

• Taxonomy (biology)
• Plant pathogens and diseases

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata