Everyone Plays a Part in Protecting California Citrus

Protecting California Citrus

By Victoria Hornbaker; Ag Alert

Recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its final crop estimate for the Florida orange crop, reflecting a reduction of 30 million cartons in total production from the previous season. There is no denying the devastating impact that Huanglongbing has had on the Florida citrus industry since the disease was first discovered in 2005. A drive through Florida citrus country will offer vastly different scenery than that of California’s premier citrus-producing regions.

In some respects, the California citrus industry has been fortunate to learn from the situation in Florida and has taken a very proactive approach to protect itself from a similar fate. In 2009, the industry supported a mandatory self-assessment to fund a comprehensive treatment and trapping program to manage the insect carrier of HLB, the Asian citrus psyllid, and prevent HLB from taking hold.

The Asian citrus psyllid is now endemic throughout a majority of Southern California, particularly in dense, urban areas where citrus trees can be found in six out of every 10 backyards. In March 2012, HLB was discovered for the first time in a backyard citrus tree in Los Angeles County. Although there have not been any additional confirmed cases of HLB since then, as an industry we must remain vigilant statewide in order to protect our $2 billion citrus crop.

Currently, there are eight counties in California that are entirely quarantined for the Asian citrus psyllid: Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura. Additionally, portions of Fresno, Kern, San Luis Obispo and Tulare counties are also under quarantine for the Asian citrus psyllid.

The total quarantined area statewide is now 46,530 square miles. Maps are available online at www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/go/acp-quarantine.

With a large portion of the state’s commercial citrus production now within quarantine zones, it is increasingly important that growers and packers are up to date on current regulations and protocols, to best manage psyllid populations and prevent the pest from spreading any further.

There are two approved options under the Bulk Fruit Movement Performance Standard available for commercial citrus growers and packers to comply with the quarantined regulations: Remove all leaves and stems/plant debris using a field cleaning machine, or apply a University of California integrated pest management-recommended material within 14 days prior to harvest.

There are no restrictions on moving fruit with leaves and stems if shipping to a packinghouse or processing facility located within the same quarantine boundary.

Asian citrus psyllids can easily “hitchhike” on citrus plant debris, so it’s important that we all do our part to minimize the movement of plant material between work sites. It is strongly recommended that growers and packers work with farm labor contractors, picking crews, pesticide applicators and hedging/topping services to ensure that all equipment, picking bags, field bins, clothing and gloves are free of stems and leaves before leaving the field.

We all have a commonality in agriculture and can understand the pressures posed by invasive insects and diseases. This is a fight that no commodity can win without the support of homeowners and consumers, which is why everyone with a backyard citrus tree should:

Not move citrus—Do not move citrus plants, plant material or fruit into or out of a quarantine area or across state or international borders.
Inspect your trees—Inspect your citrus trees for signs of the psyllid or HLB whenever watering, spraying, pruning or otherwise tending to trees.
Plant responsibly—Plant trees from reputable, licensed California nurseries.
Talk to your local nursery—Ask about products that are available to help stop the Asian citrus psyllid.
Graft with care—Use only registered budwood that comes with source documentation.
Be mindful of clippings—Dry or double-bag plant clippings prior to disposal.
Cooperate—Cooperate with agricultural officials who are trapping and treating for the Asian citrus psyllid.

By working together, we can help stop the Asian citrus psyllid and protect California citrus from Huanglongbing.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-10-14T21:15:31-07:00July 28th, 2014|

Asian Citrus Psyllid Quarantine Expansion in Tulare County

An additional portion of Tulare County has been placed under quarantine for the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) following the detection of two psyllids in separate traps in an unincorporated area northwest of the community of Ivanhoe in Tulare County. This brings the total quarantine area in Tulare County to 856 square miles.

The new quarantine zone measures 110 square miles in Tulare County, bordered on the north by Avenue 384; on the east by Road 180; on the south by E Main Street; and on the west by Road 80.

The new quarantine zone will connect existing quarantine zones already in place. A map is available online at: http://pi.cdfa.ca.gov/pqm/manual/pdf/maps/3435ACPTulareCounty.pdf

Also, a single ACP has been detected west of Exeter near the community of Farmersville recently and may lead to another quarantine expansion later this month. The parameters and size of that additional new regulated area are still being determined.

In addition to the developments in Tulare County, ACP quarantines remain in place in Fresno, Kern, Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties.

The ACP is an invasive species of grave concern because it can carry the disease huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening. All citrus and closely related species are susceptible hosts for both the insect and the disease.

There is no cure once a tree becomes infected. The diseased tree will decline in health until it dies. HLB has been detected just once in California – in 2012 on a single residential property in Hacienda Heights, Los Angeles County.

HLB is known to be present in Mexico and in parts of the southern U.S. Florida first detected the pest in 1998 and the disease in 2005, and the two have been detected in all 30 citrus-producing counties in that state. The University of Florida estimates the disease has tallied more than 6,600 lost jobs, $1.3 billion in lost revenue to growers and $3.6 billion in lost economic activity.

Residents in the area who think they may have seen the Asian citrus psyllid are urged to call CDFA’s Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899. For more information on the Asian citrus psyllid and HLB, please visit: www.cdfa.ca.gov/go/acp.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:35:26-07:00June 12th, 2014|

Asian Citrus Psyllid Quarantine Established in San Luis Obispo County

Breaking News: NEW ACP Discovery

Victoria Hornbaker, APHIS Citrus Program Manager, announced TODAY the first confirmed Asian citrus psyllid find in San Luis Obispo County as reported in a San Luis Obispo County Ag Commissioner’s press release.

Hornbaker also announced a Science Advisory Panel Report Stakeholder meeting will be held on April 16, 2014 at 9 am at CDFA headquarters, 1220 N Street, Room 220, Sacramento, CA 95814. To participate via conference call, please call 866-692-3158 and use participant code 87947483.

The meeting agenda follows this article.

Martin Settevendemie, Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer, County of San Luis Obispo announced detection of an adult Asian Citrus Psyllid in an insect trap on March 26^th in a residential landscape near Arroyo Grande. The discovery prompted a high-density trapping delimitation survey of the immediate and adjacent area – about a nine square mile area – and no other ACPs were found.

A quarantine restricting the movement of citrus nursery stock and citrus fruit within a five-mile radius around the detection site has already been established by the California Department of Food and Agriculture to prevent the spread of this serious plant pest. “We are working with growers to get everyone in compliance with the regulation. This will help them understand what the requirements are to move any product outside of the quarantine area,” said Settevendemie.

CDFA announced that they will be conducting spray eradication treatments approximately 800 meters around the detection to eradicate this pest.

The first detection of the Asian Citrus Psyllid in California occurred in San Diego County in 2008. Since then, it has been found throughout southern California.

“This insect pest is of serious concern to California’s commercial citrus because it is responsible for spreading Huanglongbing, also called citrus greening disease, a plant disease that is fatal to all types of citrus trees. This includes citrus trees in countless landscapes across the county as well as local commercial citrus orchards valued at over $13 million in 2013,” according to Settevendemie.

Over the past ten years nearly 50% of the commercial citrus groves in Florida have been killed by this disease. The University of Florida estimates the disease has tallied more than 6,600 lost jobs, $1.3 billion in lost revenue to growers and $3.6 billion in lost economic activity for the state. The disease does not affect human health.

A single orange tree infected with Huanglongbing was found in a Los Angeles County backyard in 2012. To date no additional detections of the disease in California have occurred.

Staff from the San Luis Obispo County Agricultural Commissioner’s office and officials from the California Department of Food and Agriculture continue to search for this pest by monitoring hundreds of insect traps placed in urban neighborhoods and commercial orchards throughout the county.

“It is difficult to close off all potential pest pathways into the county. An engaged community of all county residents is critical in successfully excluding pests such as Asian Citrus Psyllid,” said Settevendemie.

Community members can do the following to protect backyard citrus trees and the local citrus industry:

        Buy Local! Purchase citrus trees from reputable local sources selling plants that have been routinely inspected by the Agricultural Commissioner’s staff.
        Do not transport citrus plants or plant parts into the county from quarantine areas. Call 805- 781-5910 for information about quarantine areas.
        Check residential landscaping often for signs of unusual symptoms or strange insects. Contact the local University of California Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardener Program at 805-781-5939 for help in identification of unusual plant symptoms or pests.
        If asked, allow the Agricultural Commissioner’s staff to place an insect trap in your yard and cooperate with officials if it becomes necessary to exclude or eliminate Asian Citrus Psyllid from San Luis Obispo County.

For more information about the Asian Citrus Psyllid visit the California Department of Food and Agriculture website or the San Luis Obispo County Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer’s website.

AGENDA FOR: ACP/HLB Ad Hoc Science Advisory Panel Report

Stakeholder Review/Conference Call

April 16, 2014, 9:00 a.m.

Call-in number: 866-692-3158

Passcode: 87947483

– This meeting is open to the General Public –

AGENDA

1. Call to order, introductions – Jason Leathers

2. Review of Science Advisory Panel Questions and Answers

3. Review of Science Advisory Panel Report

a. Rapid Detection of HLB Infected Trees and/or Psyllids

b. Longitudinal Study being Conducted at the UC Davis Containment Facility

c. Potential for Movement of CLas Infected ACP with Fruit Movement

d. Recommendations Regarding Areawide ACP Treatment Program

e. Recommendations Affecting Quarantine Area

f. Recommendations Affecting Citrus Nurseries

4. Additional Questions/Review Items

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:04-07:00April 3rd, 2014|

Science Advisory Report Posted

The California Department of Food and Agriculture‘s (CDFA) Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP) and Huanglongbing (HLB) Ad Hoc Science Advisory Panel (SAP) is a group of scientists selected by the Secretary to provide scientific advice to the Department to ensure that they are using the best science available when developing program policy and protocols.

These scientists consist of experts from states that have already experienced the sequence of events associated with ACP/HLB infestation, as well as California-based scientists with local knowledge to ensure a diverse perspective.

The panel met in December 2013 and was tasked with providing recommendations on a series of non-regulatory questions vetted by CDFA.

This report contains the list of questions and the answers from the ACP-SAP. In addition, the report contains the SAP’s comments and recommendations for consideration in the development of ACP/HLB programs in California.

Among the many questions answered in the report, here are a few:

What is the appropriate size of treatment areas around ACP find sites in eradication zones under a variety of scenarios?
Would it be beneficial to freeze dry leaves from asymptomatic, VOC positive trees for future analysis, when technology improves?
With most of the ACP detections in Tulare County being on traps placed on poles rather than within the canopy, should we change trap placement for the ACP program?
On March 23, 2014 we will be 2 years without a HLB detection in California. What should be our exit strategy?

For a copy of the letter, click here.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the Citrus Program Manager, Victoria Hornbaker at 916-654-0317 or via email at Victoria.Hornbaker@cdfa.ca.gov.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:09-07:00March 19th, 2014|