http://www.freshplaza.com/news_detail.asp?id=53546

US: New law to test citrus for pests

California's citrus nursery industry will be required to test young trees for harmful diseases as part of a new law signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Ellen Corbett, D-San Leandro, grew out of concern over protecting against citrus greening, a tree-killing disease that has ravaged Florida's orange industry.

The disease, also known as "huanglongbing," can be carried by the Asian citrus psyllid, an aphid-sized bug that has been found in Southern California. The most recent discovery of the bug was in rural San Diego County.

So far, citrus greening has not been found in a California grove, and officials want to keep it that way. The state's citrus industry is valued at $1.6 billion.

The new law calls for a mandatory testing program for citrus nursery stock and gives the California Department of Food and Agriculture the authority to add new pests and diseases to the program.

"I'm pleased we were able to take action quickly to help protect nurseries throughout the state from these deadly pests," Corbett said. "The state's agriculture industry is vital to our economy and we must do everything we can to protect it."

The law takes effect once state agriculture officials develop the regulations for how the program will be operated. Steve Lyle, CDFA spokesman, said that process will start very soon.

Don Dillon Jr., vice president of Four Winds Nursery in Fremont, supports the new law, saying that the industry is currently only obligated to test for tristeza, a serious viral plant disease.

"This is an important step for the citrus industry," Dillon said. "There are lots of diseases that we will have to keep on top of."

The mandatory testing program will be funded by the citrus nursery industry, a fact that isn't an issue for Dillon. The actual cost to the nurseries has not been determined. "What we don't want is for someone to produce trees with [huanglongbing] and spread that across the state," Dillon said. "The cost of that would be astronomical. We have to make sure our nursery stock is clean."

Taken out of the bill was a provision requiring mandatory screen houses for new citrus trees. The cost for one of those structures can reach as high as $1 million, prompting some of the state's smaller nurseries to say such a requirement would put them out of business.

http://www.yumasun.com/news/area-53968-citrus-quarantine.html

Yuma citrus production area to be under quarantine
November 04, 2009 5:18 PM
BY JOYCE LOBECK, SUN STAFF WRITER

Much of the citrus production area in Yuma County is being placed in a quarantine area after inspectors found a third Asian citrus psyllid in the area.

The insect is of grave concern because it can carry the disease Huanglongbing, more commonly known as citrus greening, that is fatal to infected citrus trees and is considered a major threat to the industry.

The most recent insect was found Monday in the vicinity of Avenue C and 15th Street, about 10 miles north of two earlier detections in San Luis, Ariz., said John Caravetta, associate director of the Arizona Department of Agriculture. All three insects were found in sticky traps placed in residential citrus trees.

The newest detection is near Yuma and within a mile of commercial citrus groves, Caravetta said Wednesday.

On Tuesday, state and federal agriculture officials met with Yuma-area citrus packers and other industry stakeholders to discuss a proposed quarantine area and the implications of that regulation, he said.

The Agriculture Department plans to issue a state quarantine today, covering an area extending in a 20-mile radius from the Somerton detection site. This quarantine area will cover the entire production area of Yuma County with the exception of groves located east of Telegraph Pass, Caravetta said.

The quarantine will also be adopted by U.S. Department of Agriculture-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

That means that any commercial citrus being shipped out of Yuma County will have to go through a packing house for cleaning, washing and packing before being sold, he said.

This could have an impact on Yuma County's citrus exports, he said.

At the moment, no shipments will be allowed to Australia, a major market for area citrus, he said. However, USDA-APHIS trade officials said late Tuesday that shipments to Korea, an even larger market, will be allowed.

The quarantine also impacts citrus nursery stock, Caravetta said. It can only be sold and planted inside the quarantine area.

Caravetta said inspectors will continue their trapping and visual monitoring for the psyllid in residential areas.

Agriculture officials also plan to meet with homeowners in the San Luis area where the first two psyllids were found to announce plans for treatment, he said.

A map of the quarantine area will be posted on www.azda.gov.

If homeowners have questions about their citrus trees, they can call the Arizona Department of Agriculture office in Yuma County at 341-1680.

Joyce Lobeck can be reached at jlobeck@yumasun.com or 539-6853.

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20091105/lead/lead4.html

Citrus bug detected in St Catherine

Published: Thursday | November 5, 2009

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries revealed yesterday that it had detected a disease called citrus huanglongbing/citrus greening in St Catherine which, if not properly managed, could threaten Jamaica's $3.7-billion citrus industry.

"Samples collected in September from affected plants in the citrus-growing areas of the parish were tested locally by the University of the West Indies and the presence of the disease agent, Candidatus liberibacter asiaticus, was deter-mined," the ministry said in a release yesterday. "This finding was later confirmed by the United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Laboratory."

Indicators of the disease

Citrus greening is a bacterial disease which has a severe effect on citrus plants and orchards under 10 years old. The presence of the bacterium can remain undetected for several years without plants displaying any visual symptoms. However, the most typical indicators of the disease's presence are: asymmetric blotchy mottle of the leaves; sectoring of the tree with yellow shoots; heavy fruit fall; small, lopsided fruits with aborted seeds; colour inversion on fruits (ripening from the top instead of the bottom); twig dieback and eventual death of plants.

The bacteria is mainly transmitted to uninfected plants by a small sucking insect known as the citrus psyllid - Diaphorina citri - dis-covered in the island in 2002. In addition, transmission is also possible through the grafting of infected material and/or seeds.

Citrus greening affects most citrus species, including hybrids, cultivars, as well as sweet oranges, mandarins, grapefruits, limes and lemons.

"It should be noted that no country that has reported the presence of citrus greening has successfully eradicated the disease," the ministry said. "However, management programmes have been implemented to reduce the impact of the disease on citrus production."

Control of disease

Control of citrus greening requires an integrated management approach which includes:

Early detection and removal of infected trees.

Vector management using chemical and biological methods.

Use of certified material for propagation.

Use of seedlings produced under cover.

Removal of alternate hosts in commercial growing areas.

Grower education.