California Fruit and Vegetable

Tag: HLB

  • Updated Regs on Bulk Citrus Movement into HLB Quarantine Area

    Effective April 13, 2020, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) will revoke Quarantine Commodity (QC) permit number 1486. QC 1486 originally authorized the intrastate movement of bulk citrus fruit from the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) Bulk Citrus Regional Quarantine Zones 2, 3, 4, 5 or 7, into the Huanglongbing (HLB) quarantine area, without meeting the ACP-free performance standard.

    The motion to revoke QC 1486 was unanimously passed by the Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Committee (CPDPC) at a committee meeting on March 11, 2020. CDFA subsequently approved the motion and will begin its implementation this month.

    “While the committee understands this revocation represents a change for a limited number of our industry partners, we have made this science-based decision because we believe the overall benefit these actions will have in protecting the industry against the spread of ACP and HLB will outweigh the added mitigation steps required of our growers and packers,” said Jim Gorden, chairman of the Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program.

    Upon the effective date, all shipments of bulk citrus fruit into the HLB quarantine area, Bulk Citrus Regional Quarantine Zone 6, must meet the ACP-free performance standard, which includes field cleaning by machine or a preharvest treatment, and must be accompanied by the ACP-free declaration form. To download the ACP-free declaration form, please visit www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/pdfs/acp/ACPFreeDeclarationForm.pdf.

    Prior to shipment, growers must also notify the appropriate county agricultural commissioner’s office to which they will be shipping bulk citrus, as stated in the grower’s compliance agreement.

    “The committee based it’s response on the risk-based model, which indicated that movement of unmitigated fruit into the HLB quarantine presents a higher risk than we initially thought,” said Keith Watkins, chairman of the operations subcommittee of the CPDPP. “By potentially shipping psyllids into an area known to have HLB, we’re essentially throwing gasoline on the fire. These changes will not only create more uniform mitigation requirements, but allow us to future proof these regulations for any future HLB detections in new areas of the state.”

    Steps like this are critical in the fight to save California’s citrus industry from ACP and HLB, which has been found in residential areas of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties at an increasing rate. Now more than ever, it is important for the citrus industry to work together in preventing the spread of this harmful pest and disease.

    To review the full document for citrus growers and grove managers in an ACP bulk citrus regional quarantine zone or HLB quarantine area, please click here.

    For questions regarding this regulatory advisory, please contact Keith Okasaki at Keith.Okasaki@CDFA.ca.gov

  • CA Detections of Citrus Disease HLB up 160 Percent

    HLB infected Tree

    Stakes at All-Time High for Backyard & Commercial Trees in 2019

    Detections of Huanglongbing (HLB), an incurable plant disease that kills citrus trees, increased by 160 percent in 2018 compared to the previous year, signaling the growing threat to the state’s iconic citrus trees, landscape and economy.

    HLB is spread by a small pest called the Asian citrus psyllid as it feeds on citrus tree leaves. The disease is not dangerous to humans or pets, but it is fatal for citrus trees and has no cure. Once a tree is confirmed with the disease, it must be removed from the property in order to protect neighboring citrus trees.

    The disease was first discovered in California in 2012 in Hacienda Heights. HLB was detected in 269 trees in 2017 and 699 trees in 2018, with a majority of these occurring in Los Angeles and Orange counties. The disease has not yet been detected in a California commercial grove.

    HLB has devastated commercial citrus production in Florida. Over the course of 10 years, Florida’s commercial citrus industry lost $7.8 billion in revenue, 162,200 citrus acres and more than 7,500 jobs due to HLB. Should the disease spread from backyard trees in Southern California to nearby commercial citrus groves, the livelihood of California’s citrus production could impact about 3,900 farmers and 292,000 acres of citrus production in the state. Commercially grown citrus contributes $7 billion in economic impact to the state and employs more than 22,000 individuals.

    “The livelihood of California’s commercial citrus industry and the generations of families it supports is at risk because of HLB,” said Jim Gorden, a citrus grower in the San Joaquin Valley and chair of the Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Committee. “We are at a crossroads, and we must all work together to do what is necessary to protect our citrus.”

    Asian Citrus Psyllid Adults

    The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has established quarantines throughout the state that limit the transport of citrus across state and international lines, and between areas where the psyllid and disease have been found. Additionally, CDFA has agriculture crews canvasing the state to inspect backyard citrus trees for the Asian citrus psyllid and HLB.

    “The Department is committed to our partnership with California’s commercial citrus industry and residential citrus growers to fight HLB,” said Victoria Hornbaker, interim director of the citrus program at CDFA. “With more than half of California residences estimated to have a citrus tree on their property, and California citrus production supporting billions of dollars in our state’s economy, we all play an instrumental role in protecting our citrus.”

    California residents play an important role in protecting the state’s citrus trees. Residents should: 

    • Proactively inspect their citrus trees for the Asian citrus psyllid and HLB monthly, and whenever watering, spraying, pruning or tending trees.
      • Adult Asian citrus psyllids are brown, about one-eighth of an inch long, and feed with their body at a 45-degree angle on citrus leaves.
      • Symptoms of HLB include blotchy and yellowing leaves, premature and excessive fruit drop, lopsided fruit, and bitter, inedible fruit.
    • Call the state’s pest hotline at 800-491-1899 if the pest or disease is spotted.
    • Cooperate with agriculture officials who may ask to inspect or treat their citrus tree.
    • As part of tree maintenance, visit a local nursery or garden center to get advice on products that can help protect citrus trees.
    • When pruning citrus trees, be sure to dry out citrus clippings or double bag them before removing the plant material from the property.
    • Refrain from moving citrus plants, foliage or fruit as doing this may unknowingly spread the pest.

    More information and photos of Asian citrus psyllids and HLB symptoms are available at CaliforniaCitrusThreat.org.

  • Huanglongbing Eradication Status in California Citrus

    To date, the deadly citrus greening disease Huanglongbing or HLB has not been found in California’s commercial citrus orchards; however, it’s only a matter of time. HLB strikes continue to be detected in residential areas, and its vector has spread all over the state. Watch this brief interview with Victoria Hornbaker, head of the CDFA’s statewide citrus program, as she shares the current status of the spread of HLB and its vector the Asian citrus psyllid, and CDFA’s eradication efforts. Read more about it in California Fresh Fruit Magazine.