- Author: Chris M. Webb
The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) continues to be found in several California counties. New finds are being made on a weekly basis. Ventura County and others with this pest remain in quarantine, which means fruit and plant material movement is restricted in these counties.
UC’s Elizabeth Grafton-Cardwell has recently provided an update on LA’s urban infestation. The update can be found on UC ANR’s Citrus Bugs Blog.
UC researchers have begun releasing Tamarixia radiate in Riverside County and soon into Los Angeles county. Tamarixia radiate is a tiny wasp and a natural enemy of ACP. Details of the release and the program can be found on the ANR News Blog.
Invasive species cause billions of dollars’ worth of damage annually. As with all invasive species, it is primarily people who are responsible for ACP’s movement. Please do what you can to avoid moving these pests.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
On March 21, 2011 the Ventura County ACP-HLB Task Force sponsored a workshop for citrus growers, nursery operators and pest control advisors.
The presentations from the workshop have been archived on our website with sound. Titles and presenters are as follows:
- ACP update and overview of treatment protocol for commercial orchards: Beth Grafton-Cardwell, IPM Specialist and Research Entomologist, University of California’s Kearney Agricultural Center, and Director of Lindcove Research and Extension Center.
- Research update regarding biocontrol of psyllids: Raju Pandey, UC Riverside Department of Entomology.
- Research update regarding chemical control of psyllids: Joseph Morse, UC Riverside Department of Entomology.
Please click here to access the workshop recordings.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
Recent finds of Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) have triggered a quarantine for Ventura County. ACP has the potential to spread Huanglongbing (HLB), a bacterium fatal to citrus trees and closely related plants. This pest-disease complex has created havoc in citrus producing regions around the world. Early detection and treatment is of utmost importance in preventing the establishment of this destructive pest in our area.
Long before the local arrival of ACP, the Ventura County ACP-HLB Task Force was created to help educate commercial and home citrus growers. At this time the Task Force is coordinating with sate and local agricultural officials to ensure accurate and timely information continues to reach citizens and industry personnel.
In addition to the ACP-HLB Task Force local industry and residents alike can find much additional support. The situation remains fluid. Please do your part to help control this pest. It is vital to check trees regularly and follow quarantine protocols. As of today the following agencies and departments are available to provide assistance:
- Growers, packinghouse managers and nursery operators with questions about the quarantine or compliance agreements can contact the CDFA (California Department of Food and Agriculture) Cooperative ACP Quarantine Project at 555 Airport Way, Suite C in Camarillo. They can be reached by phone at (805) 388-4222.
- The Agricultural Commissioner’s Office can also provide information on quarantine and compliance agreements and can be reached at (805) 477-1620. Their website also has information for commercial and residential growers.
- To report suspected ACP finds (commercial and residential) please call the CDFA hotline at (800) 491-1899.
- General questions about Task Force activities, including upcoming workshops, can be answered by calling the Task Force hotline at (805) 535-8641 or the Farm Bureau at (805) 289-0155.
A free workshop for commercial growers, nursery stock producers, and PCAs is scheduled for March 21. Please don’t forget to reserve your spot by calling (805) 289-0155 no later than March 14.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
A free ACP workshop for conventional citrus growers, nursery stock operators and PCAs (pest control advisors) will take place on Monday, March 21 from 1-3:30 pm at the Santa Paula Community Center.
The workshop is intended to provide information about the pest, state quarantine regulations, the treatment protocol for commercial orchards and nurseries, and research into biocontrols and HLB resistance. The following speakers are scheduled to attend:
- Dr. Beth Grafton-Cardwell, IPM specialist and research entomologist at UC Riverside’s Kearney Agricultural Center, and director of the Lindcove Research and Extension Center.
- Dr. Raju Pandey, an entomologist who has been spearheading research into biocontrol agents for ACP at UC Riverside and in Pakistan.
- Nawal Sharma, supervisor of the Quarantine Response Program for the California Department of Food & Agriculture.
- Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner Henry Gonzales.
- Ted Batkin, president, Citrus Research Board.
The workshop is free, but RSVPs are required. Please call (805) 289-0155 no later than March 14 to reserve your spot.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
Ventura County Farm Advisor Ben Faber is currently on sabbatical in Turkey. Today Ben shares a little about his studies.
Adana, Turkey is along the Mediterranean Sea, near the middle of the country, and is where I plan to spend the next 11 months studying and doing research. I am at Cukurova (pronounced Chuckorova) University which has collections of avocados, citrus, figs, mulberries and pomegranates. I came here because as a Mediterranean climate, it grows similar crops to California.
I had not realized that a Mediterranean climate could be so hot and humid, though. What defines a Mediterranean climate is one that has winter rain and summer drought and mild winter temperatures. The temperature at 6 AM in Adana is 37 C (98.6 F) and the humidity hovers around 75%. Most businesses do not have air conditioning, but they all have heaters. Most of the ‘Hass’ avocado trees do not look good, so I guess it is going to get cold this winter.
It is hot now, though, but that’s what makes the citrus grow, and grapes and figs and wheat and plums and apricots and corn and cotton that grow all around on the Cukurova Plain, once called the Cilician Plain.
The University is the largest agricultural school in the country with 45,000 students in diverse departments, such as horticulture, soils, and engineering, but also medical, dental, biotech, letters and sciences and other schools. The town of Adana has 1.5 million people, is about 20 miles from the coast, is at about the same latitude as San Francisco and has all the modern conveniences of any California town. Plus, it has a great bus system.
I am working with faculty from different departments on different trials. Two are on citrus; evaluating different rootstocks for iron deficiency and a chemical evaluation to control leaf flush in citrus. This latter trial is to reduce the new tissue that is so attractive to Asian Citrus Psyllid. In avocado, we are looking at different girdling times and styles for their impact on fruit set and yield. They have used a double girdling technique here on various tree crops for years and found that the double ring has effects that a single ring does not have.
Another trial is looking at different fig varieties as rootstocks, again to evaluate for resistance to iron deficiency. Figs world-wide are grown from cuttings, not grafted, because they root so easily. Having a rootstock that can handle the high pH soils that we have in coastal southern California could benefit a new industry in our State.
I am also working with the curators of the pomegranate and mulberry collections to better understand how those crops are grown here and also getting out meeting local growers of these crops.
The landscape here is fresh with new plantings, as far as the eye can see. It is really a dynamic agriculture with farms that look every bit as well cared for as those in California. Many of the local growers I have met have attended this University and several have studied in Europe and the US. My English gets me by, and when I get lost, people are good at steering me straight.
Adana is famous in Turkey for its kebab, a grilled, ground lamb that is served with lemon, onion, rice, flat bread, roasted peppers, mint, and salad. And everyone asks if I have eaten Adana kebab. Yes, I have, and it is wonderfully fresh food.
Cukurova plane (photo by Ben Faber)
Cukurova University Campus (photo by Ben Faber)