California Ag TODAY: ACP QUARANTINE EXPANDS

An additional portion of Tulare County has been placed under quarantine TODAY for the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) following the detection of one psyllid near the City of Exeter in Tulare County.

The new quarantine zone measures 86 square miles in Tulare County, bordered on the north by Yokohl Creek; on the east by Road 244; on the south by Avenue 220; and on the west by Road 156. This area is in addition to the existing quarantines in the Porterville and Dinuba areas of Tulare County. A link to the map may be found at: www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/go/acp-quarantine-sjv

The quarantine prohibits the movement of host nursery stock out of the quarantine area; however, under the terms of a compliance agreement, nursery stock and budwood may move out of the area if grown in USDA-approved structures designed to keep ACP out.

Also, under the terms of a compliance agreement, citrus fruit may move out of the area if cleaned of leaves and stems, or if from a grove that was treated prior to harvest. Residents with backyard citrus trees in the quarantine area are asked not to remove fruit from the area.

In addition to the quarantine in Tulare County, ACP quarantines are now in place in Fresno, Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties.

The ACP is an invasive species of grave concern because it can carry the disease huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening. All citrus and closely related species are susceptible hosts for both the insect and the disease. There is no cure once a tree becomes infected; the diseased tree will decline in health until it dies.

HLB has been detected just once in California – last year on a single residential property in Hacienda Heights, Los Angeles County. HLB is known to be present in Mexico and in parts of the southern U.S. Florida first detected the pest in 1998 and the disease in 2005, and the two have been detected in all 30 citrus-producing counties in that state.

The University of Florida estimates the disease is responsible for Florida’s more than 6,600 lost jobs, $1.3 billion in lost revenue to growers, and $3.6 billion in lost economic activity. The disease is also present in Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina and Texas. The states of Alabama, Arizona, Hawaii, and Mississippi have detected the pest but not the disease.

Residents in the Tulare area who think they may have seen the Asian citrus psyllid are urged to call CDFA’s Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899.