Rodents, particularly rats, have wreaked havoc in California orchards and vineyards this year. Some growers have reported yield losses, damage to trees and destruction of irrigation lines, electrical wiring and other infrastructure. Farmers face soaring costs to replace what has been destroyed or damaged, but also to control populations of the pests. The rodent problem was initially reported in San …
HLB Quarantine Expanded in California
An area quarantined for huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening disease, in California was recently expanded. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) issued the expansion. The quarantined area in the Mission Viejo area of Orange County expanded by approximately 85 square miles. …
California Announces Oriental Fruit Fly Quarantine
A portion of California’s Orange County has been placed under quarantine for the Oriental fruit fly. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) reported the quarantine Nov. 6. It followed the detection of eight flies in and around the cities of Santa Ana and Garden Grove. The quarantine zone measures 87 square miles. It is bordered on the north …
HLB Confirmed on California Inactive Citrus Acreage
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has confirmed the detection of the citrus plant disease huanglongbing (HLB) in inactive citrus acreage in the city of Yorba Linda, Orange County. The detections mark the first time HLB has been confirmed in plant samples on non-residential, non-nursery citrus acreage. The detection site, which is not currently operational or being cultivated …
California HLB Quarantine Expanded
Agricultural officials recently expanded the areas in California quarantined for citrus greening disease [also known as huanglongbing (HLB)], which is spread by Asian citrus psyllids. The quarantined area in Orange and Riverside counties was increased by a total of approximately 31 square miles. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) in cooperation with the …
Medfly Quarantine Expanded in California
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) expanded the Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) quarantine in Alameda and Santa Clara counties in California twice in October. The expansions are in response to the confirmed detections between Oct. 7 and Oct. 15 of 22 wild female Medflies, 14 …
Commercial Citrus Impacted by Expanded HLB Quarantine
The area quarantined for HLB in San Diego County, California, has been expanded, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) announced on Sept. 23. USDA APHIS took the action in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). HLB, a plant disease caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, is also known as citrus …
California Medfly Quarantine Expanded
Federal and state agriculture officials on Sept. 6 established a Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata; Medfly) quarantine in Alameda County, California. On Sept. 11, this quarantine was expanded to include a small portion of Santa Clara County. The actions were taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and the California Department of …
Citrus Disease Quarantines Expanded in California
U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS) officials, in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), recently expanded the areas quarantined for huanglongbing (HLB) and sweet orange scab (SOS) in the state. HLB The quarantined area in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties has been expanded by approximately 50 square miles. Additionally, the …
Initial 2024–25 Forecasts for California Navels and Mandarins
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), cooperating with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, has issued initial 2024–25 forecasts for California’s navel orange crop and for part of the mandarin crop. NAVEL ORANGES The initial 2024-25 California navel orange forecast is 78 million cartons, up 2% from the previous year. The forecast is based on …
Medfly Quarantine Issued in California
A portion of Alameda County in California has been placed under quarantine for the Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) following the detection of one wild mated female in Fremont. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Alameda County agricultural commissioner and California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) are working collaboratively on the project. The quarantine area in Alameda County measures approximately …
Oriental Fruit Fly Quarantine Removed
Federal and state officials on Aug. 11 removed the Oriental fruit fly quarantine in California’s Riverside and San Bernardino counties. This action releases the remaining 365 square miles of the quarantine, which contained 1,800 acres of commercial agriculture. Release from quarantine occurred after three generations elapsed since the date of the last detection, based on a degree-day model. The U.S. …
Changes in California Citrus Acreage
The 2024 California Citrus Acreage Report indicates that acreage for five varieties increased from 2022 to 2024 while acreage for the state’s two orange varieties decreased during the same period. INCREASES The increases were in: DECREASES Navel oranges declined from 113,586 acres in 2022 to 112,366 acres in 2024. Valencia orange acres dipped from 26,225 to 25,297 acres for the …
California Quarantine Updates
Federal and state officials have removed and reduced Oriental fruit fly (OFF) quarantines in two California counties and expanded the huanglongbing (HLB) quarantine in another county. The actions were taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). ORIENTAL FRUIT FLY On July 5, the …
CLas-Positive Psyllid Sample in Riverside County
An adult Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) sample from a residential property in the San Jacinto Valley area of Riverside County, California, has tested positive for Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), the bacterium that causes huanglongbing (HLB). The positive sample was collected as part of the Multi-Pest Risk Survey on a residential property in Hemet. It was confirmed positive for CLas on …
Tau Fruit Fly Quarantine Lifted in Los Angeles County
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has officially declared an end to the Tau fruit fly quarantine in Los Angeles County following the successful eradication of the invasive pest. The quarantine, which was established in the Santa Clarita area of Los Angeles County, was the first-ever quarantine for the Tau fruit fly in the Western Hemisphere. It encompassed …
Oriental Fruit Fly Update for California
Federal and state agriculture officials on May 31 removed the Oriental fruit fly (OFF) quarantine in Sacramento County, California. The action was taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) after three OFF life cycles elapsed with no additional detections in the area. The …
Fighting Argentine Ants to Assist ACP Biocontrol
Agriculture officials and researchers in California have drastically reduced populations of HLB-spreading Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) through biocontrol measures. Now they’re working on ways to control other insects that are intent on protecting the ACP — Argentine ants. Mark Hoddle, professor of Extension in biological control at the University of California, Riverside, Department of Entomology, explained the ACP/Argentine ant dynamics …
Grant Funds Grower’s Whole Orchard Recycling
Grower John Gless owns a citrus orchard in California’s Kern County, which has greater citrus production than nearly any other county in the state. In 2020, he was looking to replace his old orchard and improve the orchard’s soil health through the conservation management practice of whole orchard recycling. With whole orchard recycling, orchard trees are chipped and spread back …
One Oriental Fruit Fly Quarantine Removed in California
Federal and state agriculture officials on May 16 removed the Oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis; OFF) quarantine in Santa Clara County, California. The action was taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). It came after three OFF life cycles elapsed with no additional …