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Although huanglongbing (HLB) disease was highlighted in the citrus section of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (USDA APHIS) recent PPQ (Plant Protection and Quarantine) 2025 Annual Report, the report also noted efforts against other citrus diseases. Those diseases include citrus canker, citrus yellow vein clearing virus, sweet orange scab and citrus black spot. The report noted that the diseases “decrease fruit quality, increase production costs for producers and threaten export markets for fruit from affected areas.”
PPQ and cooperators in citrus-producing states perform multi-pest surveys providing timely information about the presence of pests and diseases. This information allows growers to take necessary actions to manage their groves and allows PPQ and states to update quarantine boundaries and regulations to prevent the spread of serious citrus pests and diseases through the movement of regulated materials.
In areas affected by citrus pests and diseases, PPQ’s flexible regulatory protocols have minimized the impact of the quarantines on growers. They can move citrus out of quarantined areas to packinghouses if they follow mitigation procedures to prevent the disease or its insect vector from spreading. PPQ works with citrus nurseries across the United States to ensure that nursery stock produced in areas quarantined for citrus diseases is free from pests. This ensures that clean plants are moving between states and are available for citrus producers and residential use.
PPQ performed a pathway analysis to determine the risk of interstate movement of citrus fruit with attached stems and leaves from quarantined areas. PPQ also provided options to stakeholders that they could implement to protect their citrus nursery stock from losing certification in APHIS-approved structures following a severe weather event.
PPQ and cooperators continue extensive surveys that establish citrus black spot-free production units and low-prevalence areas for citrus canker in Florida for export packing to the European Union. PPQ also supports area-wide management efforts in Texas and California for citrus pests and diseases.
PPQ and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) continued surveys for citrus yellow vein clearing virus (CYVCV) in California and confirmed three detections in Tulare County, where it was first confirmed. CDFA established an interior quarantine in October 2025 for the Hacienda Heights area of Los Angeles County and the Tulare and Visalia areas of Tulare County to prevent the spread of CYVCV to non-infested areas.
According to the PPQ report, for the 2024–25 season, there were 471,300 bearing citrus acres with production worth approximately $2.8 billion. Without PPQ’s activities, citrus exports could be at risk each year. The 2024 value of U.S. citrus exports totaled approximately $890 million.
See a previous article on USDA APHIS efforts against HLB here.
Source: USDA APHIS
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