QUARANTINE EXPANDS FOR ASIAN CITRUS PSYLLID

New portions of four counties recently added

SACRAMENTO, November 24, 2009 —  Recent detections of the Asian citrus psyllid in Imperial, San Diego and Los Angeles counties have resulted in the expansion of quarantines. Because the finds occurred close to county lines, there also are implications for Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

The Asian citrus psyllid quarantine has expanded into Riverside County because of three distinct adjoining areas: a roughly five-mile-long arc due north of Valley Center, in San Diego County, where a psyllid was recently detected; all of the Coachella Valley, following a detection in the northwestern corner of Imperial County; and the northwestern corner of Riverside County, following a detection in Pomona, which is in Los Angeles County.
 
The Pomona detection also resulted in portions of west San Bernardino County being placed under quarantine. The Valley Center detection also resulted in an additional 977 square miles of San Diego County under quarantine.

Maps of the areas mentioned may be found at: http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/PE/InteriorExclusion/acp_quarantine.html

The Asian citrus psyllid can carry the disease huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening disease. All citrus and closely related plant species are susceptible host plants for both the Asian citrus psyllid and HLB.  There is no cure for HLB once a citrus tree becomes infected. The diseased tree will produce inedible fruit and decline in health until it dies. California remains free of HLB.

Agricultural shipments from the quarantine zones are restricted by regulations designed to minimize movement of potentially infested commodities. Residents and people moving through the quarantine zone are urged not to remove citrus fruits with leaves and stems from the area.  The quarantine prohibits the movement of citrus nursery stock and other ACP host plants, such as Orange Jasmine out of the quarantine area. 

A total of 14, 201 square miles, or 8.5 percent of California's total land mass, an area larger than the state of Maryland, are now under quarantine for Asian citrus psyllid in California.   

-30-