The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) recently modified the policies and requirements for the citrus black spot (CBS) quarantine area in Florida. Modifications address the movement of regulated articles and provide a protocol to remove areas from the CBS quarantine.
This federal order updates the APHIS-Approved Packinghouse Procedures for Phyllosticta citricarpa, Causal Agent of Citrus Black Spot (CBS) that is maintained on the APHIS citrus black spot webpage.
In 2010, USDA APHIS confirmed the first identification of CBS in Collier and Hendry counties in Florida. The disease is currently confined to portions of seven counties in Southwest Florida. In 2012, USDA APHIS published a federal order that established the conditions for the movement of regulated articles from CBS-quarantined areas.
Leaves for consumption may be moved in accordance with the conditions listed in the “Protocol for the Interstate Movement of Fresh, Mature Rutaceous Leaves for Consumption,” which can be found on the APHIS citrus diseases webpage.
To prevent the spread of CBS outside the quarantined area, the order establishes requirements for the removal of leaves and other tree debris prior to the movement of vehicles and equipment used to harvest or transport regulated articles. It also establishes requirements for vehicles that have come into contact with regulated articles.
USDA APHIS is adding a requirement that disinfection is required for trailers, field boxes or bins used to transport leaves, stems, debris, culled fruit or other regulated plant material intrastate to areas outside the quarantined area. The order also changes the tarping requirements for intrastate movement of citrus fruit to packinghouses and processing facilities.
Fruit moving intrastate to packinghouse and processing facilities from CBS-positive groves or groves using the same equipment as CBS-positive groves must continue to be tarped.
Fruit leaving certain non-positive groves within the CBS quarantine no longer requires tarping.
These modifications protect the citrus industry by reducing the risk of human-assisted spread of the pathogen during intrastate movement.
All other conditions for the movement of regulated articles from CBS-quarantined areas remain unchanged, including the requirement for producers, growers, packers and processors to operate under a compliance agreement.
USDA APHIS is providing a protocol for the removal of areas quarantined for CBS, which can be found on the APHIS citrus black spot webpage.
Finally, USDA APHIS is updating the APHIS-approved packinghouse procedures for CBS. After a review of the efficacy of sodium hypochlorite treatments, USDA APHIS is modifying the required pH range for the sodium hypochlorite solution from 6.0–7.5 to 5.5–7.0. This change enhances the effectiveness of the treatment and aligns with the requirements listed in the USDA APHIS treatment manual for citrus canker.
A description of all current CBS-quarantined areas, federal orders and other supporting regulatory documents may be found on the APHIS citrus black spot webpage.
Source: USDA APHIS
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