The area quarantined for HLB in San Diego County, California, has been expanded, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) announced on Sept. 23. USDA APHIS took the action in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). HLB, a plant disease caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, is also known as citrus …
California Medfly Quarantine Expanded
Federal and state agriculture officials on Sept. 6 established a Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata; Medfly) quarantine in Alameda County, California. On Sept. 11, this quarantine was expanded to include a small portion of Santa Clara County. The actions were taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and the California Department of …
Citrus Disease Quarantines Expanded in California
U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS) officials, in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), recently expanded the areas quarantined for huanglongbing (HLB) and sweet orange scab (SOS) in the state. HLB The quarantined area in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties has been expanded by approximately 50 square miles. Additionally, the …
Initial 2024–25 Forecasts for California Navels and Mandarins
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), cooperating with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, has issued initial 2024–25 forecasts for California’s navel orange crop and for part of the mandarin crop. NAVEL ORANGES The initial 2024-25 California navel orange forecast is 78 million cartons, up 2% from the previous year. The forecast is based on …
Medfly Quarantine Issued in California
A portion of Alameda County in California has been placed under quarantine for the Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) following the detection of one wild mated female in Fremont. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Alameda County agricultural commissioner and California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) are working collaboratively on the project. The quarantine area in Alameda County measures approximately …
Oriental Fruit Fly Quarantine Removed
Federal and state officials on Aug. 11 removed the Oriental fruit fly quarantine in California’s Riverside and San Bernardino counties. This action releases the remaining 365 square miles of the quarantine, which contained 1,800 acres of commercial agriculture. Release from quarantine occurred after three generations elapsed since the date of the last detection, based on a degree-day model. The U.S. …
Changes in California Citrus Acreage
The 2024 California Citrus Acreage Report indicates that acreage for five varieties increased from 2022 to 2024 while acreage for the state’s two orange varieties decreased during the same period. INCREASES The increases were in: DECREASES Navel oranges declined from 113,586 acres in 2022 to 112,366 acres in 2024. Valencia orange acres dipped from 26,225 to 25,297 acres for the …
California Quarantine Updates
Federal and state officials have removed and reduced Oriental fruit fly (OFF) quarantines in two California counties and expanded the huanglongbing (HLB) quarantine in another county. The actions were taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). ORIENTAL FRUIT FLY On July 5, the …
CLas-Positive Psyllid Sample in Riverside County
An adult Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) sample from a residential property in the San Jacinto Valley area of Riverside County, California, has tested positive for Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), the bacterium that causes huanglongbing (HLB). The positive sample was collected as part of the Multi-Pest Risk Survey on a residential property in Hemet. It was confirmed positive for CLas on …
Tau Fruit Fly Quarantine Lifted in Los Angeles County
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has officially declared an end to the Tau fruit fly quarantine in Los Angeles County following the successful eradication of the invasive pest. The quarantine, which was established in the Santa Clarita area of Los Angeles County, was the first-ever quarantine for the Tau fruit fly in the Western Hemisphere. It encompassed …
Oriental Fruit Fly Update for California
Federal and state agriculture officials on May 31 removed the Oriental fruit fly (OFF) quarantine in Sacramento County, California. The action was taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) after three OFF life cycles elapsed with no additional detections in the area. The …
Fighting Argentine Ants to Assist ACP Biocontrol
Agriculture officials and researchers in California have drastically reduced populations of HLB-spreading Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) through biocontrol measures. Now they’re working on ways to control other insects that are intent on protecting the ACP — Argentine ants. Mark Hoddle, professor of Extension in biological control at the University of California, Riverside, Department of Entomology, explained the ACP/Argentine ant dynamics …
Grant Funds Grower’s Whole Orchard Recycling
Grower John Gless owns a citrus orchard in California’s Kern County, which has greater citrus production than nearly any other county in the state. In 2020, he was looking to replace his old orchard and improve the orchard’s soil health through the conservation management practice of whole orchard recycling. With whole orchard recycling, orchard trees are chipped and spread back …
One Oriental Fruit Fly Quarantine Removed in California
Federal and state agriculture officials on May 16 removed the Oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis; OFF) quarantine in Santa Clara County, California. The action was taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). It came after three OFF life cycles elapsed with no additional …
Procedures Revised for Sweet Orange Scab in California
The conditions for the interstate movement of citrus nursery stock and packinghouse procedures for citrus fruit from sweet orange scab (SOS) quarantined areas in California were recently revised. The actions were taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS). The actions update the “APHIS-Approved Packing House Procedures for Elsinoë australis, Causal Agent of …
Biological Control Leads to ‘Massive Decline’ in Psyllids
Repeated evaluations throughout California showed “a massive decline – greater than 70%” in HLB-spreading Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) densities since the inception of a biological control program, a researcher reported recently. Mark Hoddle said the University of California, Riverside (UCR) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) turned to biocontrol because insecticide spraying wasn’t adequately controlling the psyllid. …
California Sweet Orange Scab Quarantine Area Expanded
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS) is expanding the quarantine area in California for Elsinoë australis, the fungal causal agent of sweet orange scab (SOS). The expansion aligns with the state interior quarantine that the California Department of Agriculture (CDFA) implemented Oct. 1, 2023. SOS infection causes scab pustules that give fruit a corky …
California Growers Gear Up for Citrus Thrips Threat
Citrus thrips caused serious problems for many California growers last year. This year, growers appear to be gearing up in case it is another bad season for thrips. “Going into this spring, there’s a lot of eyes on it,” said Colby Campbell, general manager of Cobblestone Fruit. “Everybody’s watching, and I think everybody has made preparations. Guys have called ahead …
California Citrus Breeding Program Gets More Funds
The presidents of the Citrus Research Board (CRB) and California Citrus Mutual (CCM) applauded congressional leaders for recently approving additional funds for the new citrus breeding program in Parlier, California. Congress is allocating an additional $500,000 in federal funding on top of the $1 million granted last year to expand the program into California. The program will now receive $1.5 million in …
Valencia Orange Forecast for California
California’s 2023–24 Valencia orange forecast, issued by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), is 16 million cartons. The forecast was based on the results of the 2023–24 Valencia Orange Objective Measurement Survey conducted from Jan. 2 to Feb. 27. CDFA reported that Southern and Central California have received significantly more rain than usual over the winter and spring, …