USDA photo by David Bartels
The California area quarantined for sweet orange scab (SOS) in the Burbank, Los Angeles and Long Beach areas of Los Angeles County and the Anaheim and Garden Grove areas of Orange County has been expanded. The expansion was made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).
SOS is a cosmetic disease caused by the fungus Elsinöe australis. The fungal disease causes scabby, corky lesions on citrus fruit and reduces its marketability.
APHIS is expanding the quarantined area by 110 square miles in Los Angeles County and 67 square miles in Orange County. APHIS is taking this action because of SOS detections in plant tissue samples collected from residential properties in Los Angeles and Orange counties. There are 2.5 acres of commercial citrus impacted by the Anaheim and Garden Grove area expansion.
APHIS is applying safeguarding measures pertaining to the interstate movement of regulated articles from the quarantined areas in California. This measure parallels the intrastate quarantine that CDFA established on June 18. This action is necessary to prevent the spread of SOS to non-infested areas of the United States
The APHIS Sweet Orange Scab web page has information on the disease, federal orders, approved packinghouse procedures and a description of current quarantined areas.
Additional information about the quarantine expansion may be obtained from APHIS agriculturalist Abby Stilwell at 919-323-6296.
Source: APHIS
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