Agriculture officials have increased the existing citrus black spot (CBS) quarantine area in Florida and established a new quarantine area. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Plant Industry (FDACS DPI) took these actions.
CBS is a fungal disease that leaves fruit speckled and lesioned but does not affect the internal quality of the infected fruit.
USDA APHIS added nine sections in Collier County, three sections in Glades County, 25 sections in Hendry County, two sections in Lee County and six sections in Polk County to the existing CBS quarantine area. In addition, a new quarantine area of six sections in Manatee County has been established.
USDA APHIS is taking this action because of confirmed detections of Phyllosticta citricarpa, the causal agent of CBS, during annual surveys conducted by USDA APHIS and FDACS DPI during the 2022–23 and 2023–24 citrus growing seasons. The federal agency is applying safeguarding measures and restrictions on the interstate movement, or entry into foreign trade, of regulated articles from the quarantine area.
In 2010, CBS was first identified in Florida’s Collier and Hendry counties. The disease is currently confined to portions of seven counties in Southwest Florida.
Fresh citrus fruit moved interstate from the CBS quarantine areas must be processed using USDA APHIS-approved methods and packed in commercial citrus packinghouses operating under a compliance agreement with USDA APHIS. Movement of any other citrus plant parts outside the quarantine area is prohibited.
USDA APHIS will publish a description of this CBS quarantine area expansion on its citrus black spot webpage. This website contains a description of all the current CBS quarantine areas, federal orders and APHIS-approved packinghouse procedures.
Additional information may be obtained from USDA APHIS National Policy Manager Abby Stilwell by email at abby.r.stilwell@usda.gov or by phone at 919-323-6296.
See suggestions for managing CBS here.
Source: USDA APHIS
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