The citrus disease HLB has been confirmed for the first time in the city of San Diego, California, making it the second city in San Diego County with a positive detection. (Read about the first San Diego County detection here.) The new detection was made in a residential citrus tree located in the Rancho Bernardo area of the city.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and San Diego County to treat and remove the HLB-infected tree and prevent the spread of HLB into neighboring areas.
This detection resulted in the establishment of an HLB quarantine area with a 5-mile radius around the find site. The quarantine prohibits residents and commercial operations from moving any host plants within the area. Fruit grown in the area must undergo additional mitigation steps before it can be transported within or from this area. The quarantine zone will not intersect with the existing quarantine boundaries in the Oceanside area of San Diego County.
The updated HLB quarantine maps for San Diego County are available here. This link can be checked for future quarantine expansions, should they occur.
CDFA staff have scheduled the removal of the infected tree and are in the midst of a treatment program for citrus trees within 250 meters of the find site. By taking this action, a critical reservoir of the disease and its vectors will be removed, which is essential to protect other citrus trees on the property, neighboring citrus trees and the community’s citrus from the disease. CDFA, in partnership with USDA, local county agricultural commissioners and the citrus industry, continue to pursue a strategy of controlling the spread of the Asian citrus psyllid while researchers work to find a cure for HLB. The psyllid is the vector that spreads HLB.
Citrus growers in San Diego County with questions about this detection can contact Grower Liaison Sandra Zwaal at szwaal2@gmail.com.
Source: California Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program
Share this Post
Sponsored Content