ACP Spreads in Tulare County, Encroaches on Kern and Fresno Counties; Quarantine Expected


We will keep you updated.

Marilyn Kinoshita, Tulare Ag Commissioner


By Laurie Greene, Associate Editor

TODAY, Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner, Marilyn Kinoshita told California Ag Today that three new Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP) discoveries were found on Sharpshooter yellow sticky traps on commercial groves in the county.
An ACP was found in each of Lemon Cove and Farmersville, located east of Visalia, and the third in Richgrove, in the south end of the County. Kinoshita was notified last Thursday night and the CDFA laboratory in Sacramento positively identified the ACPs on Friday.
Since the traps are pulled monthly, the dates and times of entrapment are unknown.
Kinoshita expects to receive the Pest Damage Reports in 1 to 2 days.
According to standard protocol, after the official identification is made, the state draws an 800-meter radius for containment and eradication, and a 5-mile radius typically using roads as boundary markers for the quarantine. Kinoshita’s staff members review the boundaries for any adjustments, and then the CDFA reviews the plan and issues a Quarantine press release.
The quarantine established for the last discovery (a residence in Dinuba) took three weeks to process; this discovery may take eight days, per Kinoshita.
Effective measures for eradication used in Tulare County include foliar and systemic insecticides and an area-wide approach within the 800-meter site that includes residences and commercial sites. Kinoshita believes the pests in Tulare County can be eradicated when they occur, and she does not expect any natural predator program to be initiated in Tulare County in the next few years.
These ACP findings are significant because this is the first ACP encroachment into Kern County, the findings create one large contiguous region, plus they reach an area near Dinuba that extends into Fresno County. The findings may portend spreading to Merced and Stanislaus County citrus groves, and possibly to Bay Area citrus nurseries. Wherever labor moves from location to location and where packing sheds, bulk product destinations and juices plants are located, these areas are susceptible to an influx of ACP.
Watch for updates.