The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced an investment of more than $90 million under Section 7721 of the Plant Protection Act to support 441 projects that will:
- Strengthen the nation’s ability to prevent, detect and respond to invasive plant pests and diseases
- Safeguard the U.S. nursery system
- Enhance pest detection, diagnostics and mitigation efforts
Of the 441 projects, 421 fall under the Plant Pest and Disease Management and Disaster Prevention Program and 20 support the National Clean Plant Network.
USDA will reserve approximately $17.2 million to support rapid response to invasive pest emergencies — funding that enables swift action against high-risk pests.
Citrus-specific programs, cooperators receiving funds and funding amounts are as follows:
ARIZONA/CALIFORNIA
- Asian citrus psyllid detector canine program for Arizona and California, Canine Detection Services, $400,000
- California Citrus Clean Plant Network, University of California, Riverside (UCR), $1.22 million
- California Citrus Clean Plant Network, USDA-Agricultural Research Service National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Citrus and Dates, UCR, $75,350
- California citrus pest and disease outreach, California Department of Food and Agriculture, $482,591
- How good and how safe is a sterile psyllid: Development of the sterile insect technique for Asian citrus psyllid, UCR, $178,027
- In-field peptide delivery programs to manage bacterial pathogens in citrus and grapevines, UCR, $239,763
FLORIDA
- Florida Citrus Clean Plant Program, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Plant Industry, $518,750
- Development of non-transgenic genome-edited citrus varieties that are resistant against both canker and HLB, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center, $299,683
- Experimental evaluation of citrus black spot transmission pathways and quarantine intervention strategies, UF/IFAS, $166,886
- Identification of citrus greening pathogen receptors for development of non-vector Asian citrus psyllid, UF/IFAS, $118,321
PUERTO RICO
- Puerto Rico Citrus Clean Plant Program, University of Puerto Rico, $27,135
SOUTH CAROLINA
- Citrus commodity survey, Clemson Department of Plant Industry, $16,448
TEXAS
- Texas Citrus Clean Plant Program, Texas A&M University Kingsville Citrus Center (Kingsville Citrus Center), $194,455
- Citrus commodity survey: Early detection survey for citrus pests in Houston-area commercial nurseries, Sam Houston State University (SHSU), $63,605
- Continuation of citrus disease and pest educational, public outreach and management program in Gulf coastal counties, SHSU, $61,655
- Mexican fruit fly public education and outreach in Texas, Texas Citrus Pest and Disease Management Corporation, $45,500
- A federal priority citrus threats online educational course for diverse stakeholders, Texas A&M AgriLife Research – Cross-Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense, $104,002
- Evaluation of three different mating disruption systems for control of California red scale on Texas citrus, Kingsville Citrus Center, $105,136
- Assessment of HLB mitigation by Asian citrus psyllid control in citrus landscapes, Kingsville Citrus Center, $129,441
- Investigating alternative bait chemistries and insecticide resistance mechanisms for the management of Mexican fruit fly, Kingsville Citrus Center, $125,973
- Enhance K-9 detection capabilities with pupal stage of Mexican fruit fly, Kingsville Citrus Center, $42,451
Source: USDA
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