Quarantine Continued from Page 1 miles, unfortunately, you’re going to be quarantined.” CDFA confirmed the first two infected trees—one orange and one lime, both found on one residential property—on Sept. 27. They represent the first in the county to have tested positive for huan- glongbing, or HLB. The discovery follows confirmation on Sept. 19 of an Asian citrus psyllid that tested positive for Candidatus Liberibacter asiastius, the pathogen asso- ciated with HLB. HLB is considered the most severe bacterial disease of citrus. All commonly grown citrus varieties are susceptible. The Asian citrus psyllid can transmit the dis- ease as it feeds on citrus plants. Infected trees produce bitter and misshaped fruit and die within a few years. There is no known cure. The only way to protect citrus trees from the disease is to prevent spread of the HLB pathogen by controlling pop- ulations of the psyllid and destroying in- fected trees. Since its discovery in Florida in 2005, HLB has wreaked havoc on that state’s citrus production, which has dropped by 90%, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As part of the response to the HLB find- ings, CDFA is scheduled to remove the in- fected trees. The state is also mandated to survey and treat every property within 250
meters of the detection site. As of Oct. 2, 177 of 280 properties had been surveyed, Okasaki said. Treatment with the insecti- cides Merit 2F and Tempo SC Ultra started on Oct. 9. To date, the disease has not shown up in any commercial citrus orchards in California, though the psyllid is well estab- lished in Southern California and Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. In addition to Ventura County, HLB quarantines remain in effect in parts of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties, where more than 6,481 trees have tested positive for the disease as of Oct. 6, according to CDFA. In total, the quarantine boundaries cover 2,127 square miles. The Ventura County quarantine area is significant because it includes about 8,600 acres of commercial citrus. That’s rough- ly four times the cumulative commercial acreage under HLB quarantine in other parts of the state, CDFA said in an email to Ag Alert® . Ventura County remains the state’s top producer of lemons. The department said there are no com- mercial citrus groves or packinghouses in the 250-meter radius around the initial detection site. However, CDFA said the city of Santa Paula, where the detections were confirmed, is surrounded by citrus and avocado orchards that line the Santa Clara River Valley. In addition to impacts on growers, pack- ers and fruit sellers, HLB quarantines have
“enormous impact” on citrus nursery op- erators, Okasaki said. That’s because out- door citrus nursery stock within the quar- antine zone cannot be sold. CDFA said it has identified two retail nurseries within the Ventura County quar- antine. The department said both nurs- eries had citrus plants in stock, and hold notices have been issued on those plants to prohibit movement or sale. One option for nurseries with citrus stock is to build a protective structure to protect their trees, Okasaki said. They can then test their plants and sell them. He noted several nurseries under quarantine in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino counties have done so. Quarantine requirements center on risk mitigation and preventing disease spread, Okasaki said. He noted how state industry efforts have successfully kept HLB from commercial groves for more than 11 years since the disease’s first detection in Los Angeles County. There is no exit strategy for an HLB quar- antine, unlike quarantines for fruit flies that end once there are no detections after three life cycles of the pest, Okasaki said. Growers and packers within the quar- antine area are required to perform one mitigation step. This includes field cleaning the fruit by machine to remove stems and leaves; spray and harvest; or postharvest treatment.
If the packer is outside the quarantine, two mitigation steps or wet washing are required. No mitigation is needed if the grower is outside the quarantine moving fruit to a packer within the quarantine. In addition, fruit from Asian citrus psyl- lid regional quarantine zones must be transported in a fully enclosed vehicle or completely covered by a solid or mesh tarp. Few products are available for organic growers. All products used to spray before harvest are conventional, Okasaki noted. That means organic growers are limited to grate cleaning, field cleaning by machine and wet wash. Okasaki said CDFA remains open to new ideas, including ways to field clean and wash the fruit. Victoria Hornbaker, CDFA director of the Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Division, said any novel techniques must be reviewed and approved by coun- ty agricultural commissioners of the fruit’s origin and destination. For those submitting designs for review, Okasaki suggested being as specific as possible, including providing dimensions, pictures and sketches. “The goal is to mitigate the pest risks and move your fruit,” Okasaki said, “and how- ever we can achieve that and however we can help you achieve that, we’re open to it.” (Ching Lee is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at clee@cfbf.com.)
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October 11, 2023 Ag Alert 13
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