Trouble in Citrus Paradise!!

Advice for the Home Gardener from the Help Desk of the
UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County

California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA which also oversees much of CCC's Department of Agriculture) released documents March 21^st announcing that Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP) had been found March 6 in both El Sobrante (centered but includes portions of Richmond and El Cerrito) (https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/pdep/treatment/notices/2017/ACP-NOT-ElSobrante-ContraCosta-March-2017.pdf) and Pleasant Hill (plus portions of surrounding cities) https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/pdep/treatment/notices/2017/ACP-NOT-PleasantHill-ContraCosta-March-2017.pdf). CDFA also announced that with cooperation of the CCC Agriculture Commissioner, they will soon commence with treatment to hopefully eradicate those found and prevent further spread.

ACP is the vector (i.e. pest) that carries and infects citrus with HLB (Huanghlongbing or “greening disease”). There is significant information already available on the web on ACP and HLB by CDFA and UC. HLB is fatal to infected citrus. Despite lots of research on this fatal disease, so far there is no known cure and/or prevention of HLB other than preventing the ACP vector from infesting trees. HLB has decimated Florida citrus (40% reduction last 11 years) and has the potential to do similar damage to California's $2 billion dollar citrus industry. So far, commercial growers in California have seen limited impact with quarantines and ACP prevention, but with maybe 1 in 3 home gardens also growing citrus in California, the potential for ACP migration and infestation and transmittal of HLB to commercial orchards is significant. Long seen elsewhere in citrus growing areas around the world, ACP were originally found about decade ago in Southern California on home garden citrus, most likely brought in from other citrus-growing states. ACP have been steadily working their way north despite quarantines and treatments implemented by CDFA. Until this year CCC wasn't home to known ACP, but ACP were found previously in counties to the east, south, and west of CCC. This year ACP have also been found in Solano county to the north and with the announcements this month have also now been found in El Sobrante and Pleasant Hill. (click on the maps below for larger maps). Are you next?

Click the map images for full page size maps

ACP Map El Sobrante March-2017

With ACP found in CCC and if you are growing citrus in your garden, you are strongly encouraged to check your citrus for ACP presence . Helpful UC IPM web guidance can be found at http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74155.html#PSYLLIDVIDEO (with video on how to detect ACP) as well as the CDFA web site (https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/acp/).

Help Desk of the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County (SIM)

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Note: The  UC Master Gardeners Program of Contra Costa's Help Desk is available year-round to answer your gardening questions.  Except for a few holidays, we're open every week, Monday through Thursday for walk-ins from 9:00 am to Noon at 75 Santa Barbara Road, 2d Floor, Pleasant Hill, CA  94523. We can also be reached via telephone:  (925) 646-6586, email: ccmg@ucanr.edu, or on the web at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/Ask_Us/ MGCC Blogs can be found at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/HortCoCo/ You can also subscribe to the Blog  (//ucanr.edu/blogs/CCMGBlog/).