Official Pest Report
Official Pest Reports are provided by National Plant Protection Organizations within the NAPPO region. These Pest Reports are intended to comply with the International Plant Protection Convention's Standard on Pest Reporting, endorsed by the Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures in March 2002.
Citrus Greening (Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus) confirmed in Mission, Texas
Citrus Greening (Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus) confirmed in Mission, Texas
Country: United States
Title: Citrus Greening (Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus) confirmed in Mission, Texas
Contact:
Prakash Hebbar, CHRP National Coordinator, at 301-851-2228 or Lynn Evans-Goldner, National Policy Manager for Citrus Disease Programs, at 301-851-2286
Report:
On September 20, 2013, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the presence of citrus greening, also referred to as Huanglongbing, in plant tissue samples collected from a grapefruit tree located on a residential property in Mission, Texas. The sample was collected during citrus surveys conducted as part of the cooperative Citrus Health Response Program (CHRP). Samples have been collected from adjacent trees and have been submitted for analysis.
In response to this detection, APHIS, in cooperation with the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) and the Texas citrus industry, is conducting delimiting surveys in the Mission area. In addition, on September 24, 2013, TDA enacted a 5-mile radius quarantine around the detection site to prevent the artificial spread of citrus greening. When delimiting surveys are completed, APHIS will establish an interstate quarantine. Since 2009, APHIS has regulated all of Texas for the Asian citrus psyllid, the insect that transmits citrus greening.
Under IPPC Standards, 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' is considered to be a pest that is present, only in some areas, and subject to official control to limit its spread in the United States.
Posted Date: Nov. 26, 2013, 9 a.m.