Country: United States

Title: Citrus Canker (Xanthomonas spp.) - APHIS establishes a quarantine in portions of Cameron County, Texas

Contact:
Mary Palm, Citrus Health Response Program National Coordinator at 301-851-2069, or Angela McMellen Brannigan, Citrus Disease Program National Policy Manager at 301-851-2314.

Report:

Effective immediately, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is establishing a quarantine area for citrus canker (CC) in Texas.

Following the positive identification of Xanthomonas spp., the bacterial causal agent of CC, from dooryard Mexican lime, Kaffir lime, and Ponderosa lemon trees located in Rancho Viejo, Texas, APHIS and the Texas Department of Agriculture completed a delimiting survey. No commercial citrus production is contained within the quarantined area. To date, no sweet oranges or grapefruit have tested positive for citrus canker. The current infestation is the first known incidence of citrus canker in Texas after its eradication in 1943.

A Federal Order adds portions of Cameron County in Texas to the CC quarantined area in the United States. Texas has established an intra-state quarantined area for CC that parallels the federal CC regulatory requirements as specified in 7 CFR §301.75.

Under the current CC quarantine regulations, the interstate movement of citrus plants and plant parts—other than commercially packed and disinfected citrus fruit—remains prohibited with the following exception: Citrus nursery stock that is moved in accordance with regulations contained in 7 CFR §301.76 may move from areas quarantined for CC.

Under IPPC Standards, species of Xanthomonas that cause citrus canker are considered to be pests that are present, only in some areas in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas and subject to official control in the United States.

Posted Date: July 15, 2016, 9 a.m.