Found this tragic article in CRFG's(California Rare Fruit Growers) current publication.
CITRUS GREENING DISEASE IN FLORIDA
>> California - Date Tue, 16 May 2006 \\"Sorry for the late response. I had to do some research before I gave you the answer. I also HAD TO BUILD UP THE COURAGE to tell you the following. I would not plant any Temecula Sweet (Oranges) or any other orange tree right now because the Chinese Yellow Dragon is coming. Called Huanglongbing (Citrus Greening Disease) the Chinese Yellow Dragon disease is the worst disease of citrus in the world. Years ago it was confined to a small area in China, but with the advent of air travel the disease has spread all over the world. We (California) are one of the few areas of the world that have not yet been hit. It causes part of the citrus tree to turn yellow and the tree will die. It has just appeared in Florida and this may be the last year Florida will be able to harvest any oranges for orange juice. All the trees in Florida are now infected and they will all die. It is happening in Brazil and in Mexico and Central America. It is expected to be in California in two years. It will be the end of our billion-dollar citrus industry. I don't know how we are going to cope with this pending disease. There is nothing we can do to stop the disaster from happening. I wish there was something we could do to stop this from happening, but right now we are defenseless. We have to plant something else.<<\\" Taken from the July & August 2006 \\"Fruit Gardner\\" published by the California Rare Fruit Growers. - Millet

In the Philippines, we have citrus canker prevalent and citrus greening disease also. But it hasn't stopped us from enjoying other citruses. Although the surviving productive citruses are not as good as those that were wiped out, but this I tell you, those surviving citruses, aside from calamondins, needs a lot of improvement in taste. We still have citruses for sale in the local markets.

One that can spread the disease are nursery growers. Disease could not detected when the tree has just been inocculated, and it could take time before it shows itself in your yard after the tree has been planted. And there is no technology that could detect the disease during inocculation. The current inspection methods, are very expensive, restrictive to an average person, and yet these diseases could easily pass through. Indeed it is just a matter of time.

When it comes here in California, it would be a big risk for me since my rootstocks are susceptible to the disease. I will not lose one cultivar at a time but 50 cultivars of them at a time per planting hole.

I will not make dramatic statements that it would be the end of all citruses. Nonetheless, I have other rootstocks handy, perhaps will have just to live on the less desirable types. Was also wondering how this disease would fare in the colder N. California like where I am.

Right now I do not know of any trees in Texas with Greening disease. This is the reason that I personally believe no Orange Jessamine or citrus plant or fruit should be allowed to leave the state of Florida. When nurserys in Floriday state they do not have Greening there is no way for them to be sure they are not infected.

so are oranges most susceptible?

This makes me sad/sick/scared! Do Psyllids only come so far north?

Certainly, greening is a very serious disease of citrus. But the statements in the first post are grossly exaggerated. First, there is no reason at all to think that all (or most) of Florida's trees are infected.

Secondly, no one in the know is predicting that Florida's industry will die. Indeed, the state citrus economists recently published a paper, giving several scenarios, ranging from quite optimistic to quite pessimistic. It is interesting to note that the very most pessimistic projection shows the industry INCREASING in value by half a billion dollars per year, in the next 15 years.

Certainly, the way we grow citrus will change. Individual trees likely won't live as long, and production costs will rise. I don't want to minimize the seriousness of the disease. But the concept that the industry is doomed is simply silly.

The ban on shipment of fresh fruits is purely political. I has no scientific merit or justification, for two reasons:

1. The disease spreads ONLY by psyllid insects or by grafting infected tissue
2. Psyllids do not feed on fruit. Ever.

So unless one were to graft a chunk of an orange into an existing tree, there is a zero probability of a fruit spreading the disease.

Dr. Manners, I do in fact believe you are correct, and I hope it turns out as you say. I just pass along an article that was printed in the current issue of the "Fruit Gardener" which is the offical publication of the California Rare Fruit Growers (CRFG). The article gives their view. I would only add, that everything that I read over the last couple years concerning the optimistic outcome of Florida's battle against Citrus Canker, turned out not to come to pass. In fact, of all the possible scenarios concerning the citrus canker control program, the worst possible scenario came about. Let's hope for a more worthy outcome to the citrus greening control program. Certainly time will tell. Take care, and thank you for your response, it is appreciated. - Millet

A representive of Lakeland based Florida Citrus Mutual said that a quarantine of fresh citrus fruit would cause a large economic impact because growers receive higher profits for fresh fruit. Some growers already are talking of changing crops, a daunting prospect for such a well established industry, and conversion of cropland to commercial and residential development is also a frequent topic of discussion. - Millet

A representive of Lakeland based Florida Citrus Mutual said
that a quarantine of fresh citrus fruit would cause a large
economic impact because growers receive higher profits for
fresh fruit.

Millet, keep in mind my argument is not with you but someone
is slightly out of touch with how a quarantine works, at least
for out here. A way back when the Med Fly was an issue in
this state flies were found in Santa Clara County yet the
Citrus industry in Tulare Country several miles to the South
were directly impacted. The problem that growers had is
that once the state was declared under quarantine the fruit
could not be shipped out of state. This hardly brings a higher
price for the fruit as we have a glut of perishable fruit on hand
that can't go any where that we would not have otherwise
as the export market dried up and died over night until Japan
a few months later said they would okay imports from select
Citrus growing regions in California but with the condition that
the fruit were fumigated prior to their shipment with EDB,
Ethylenedibromide, at the growers, packinghouses and
marketing cooperatives expense which also was no windfall
for the Citrus growers that went ahead and picked their fruit.
Many growers did pick their fruit and just discarded them.

People have to remember that we out here in Citrus cannot
get conventional crop insurance for Citrus. If we lose a crop
we our out the money out of pocket, same is true for a deep
and sustained freezes that injures or kills trees. The
replacement costs are all out of pocket. A similar happening
has been true for the growers that had their Citrus trees
eradicated through the Citrus Canker eradication program
in Florida in that many of the growers have not been
monetarily compensated for their losses and they may not
be, as who is expected to pay them for uninsured trees is
one of the prominent sticking points so far. When we keep
in mind who wins and how many more people lose during
a quarantine crisis it makes me wonder which planet the
person above is from to make such an idiotic comment
unless the fruit are illegally sold. Technically, even with
a Citrus Greening quarantine, the Florida fruit are supposed
to remain in Florida, although the state and the Feds can
work out an arrangement to have the fruit exported. Nursery
trees will not be allowed to be shipped into Texas, Arizona
and California without a phytosanitary certificate that will
accompany each and every shipment and even then there
is no guarantee our State Departments of Agriculture will
even allow Florida Citrus to come in then. In the past not
even a phytosanitary certificate will be ample enough to
lift a moratorium that my state will impose on all Florida
Citrus. That is essentially what I meant in the e-mail
to you in that is how we prevent the insects from coming
here rather than treat for the insect once it is here. If we
know in advance that the insect is the vector for the
bacterial Citrus Greening, it is not the trees that are
prevented from coming in it is the insect. To prevent the
insect from coming in we limit the trees from coming in
until clearance has been granted and do not expect that
to happen here. Even those trees that have gone through
a thorough, top to bottom, fumigation process along with
rigorous pytosanitary testing the trees may still not be
allowed to come in at the discretion of the individual
County Ag Commissioners. My recommendation will be
the trees have to stay right where they are. They cannot
come in.

Snickles