New Year Brings Vigilance on ACP in Citrus
By Patrick Cavanaugh, editor
By Patrick Cavanaugh, editor
During 2013, there were many finds of Asian Citrus Psyllids in the San Joaquin Valley which means the pest is on the move and spreading.
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| Beth Grafton-Cardwell |
According to Beth Grafton-Cardwell, UC Riverside IPM Specialist and Research Entomologist, and director of the Lindcove Research and Extension Center, with 2014 arriving, the industry must have traps out and a close inspection of the new flush of growth in February.
“The cold snap that we had in December was probably really good to help reduce the psyllid numbers, so we are hoping that it will slow things down,” Grafton-Cardwell said. “The psyllid does not do well in cold weather, however the citrus growers try to keep their orchards warmer to try and protect the fruit so in doing so they may be protecting the psyllid.”
Grafton-Cardwell said that researchers across the nation are working hard to come up with solutions for the disease Huanglongbing (HLB), which will kill the tree. She said there is work being done in Florida on breeding citrus with tolerance to the bacterium that causes HLB.
Grafton-Cardwell reminds the public that if they are moving citrus fruit around to make sure it’s free of leaves and twigs to insure that no psyllids are riding on them. “Also do not move any citrus plant material around the state,” she said.
