Citrus Greening Disease Finding Way to New Parts of California

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and USDA have confirmed the detection of Huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening disease, in one tree on a residential property in the city of Calexico, Imperial County, triggering a quarantine. This is the first HLB detection in the county.

The detection triggers a mandatory five-mile-radius quarantine area around the find site to restrict the movement of citrus fruit, trees and related plant material, with the southern boundary of the quarantine area marked by the U.S.-Mexico border. USDA will work closely with Mexico’s National Service for Agro-Alimentary Health, Safety and Quality (SENASICA) to communicate associated quarantine implications in Imperial County.

HLB quarantine areas currently exists in parts of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura counties, where more than 10,700 trees have tested positive for the disease and have been removed since 2012. CLICK HERE to see the latest quarantine maps.

CDFA staff have treated and removed the infected tree in Calexico and are in the process of surveying all citrus trees within a 250-meter radius around the detection site. A treatment program for citrus trees to reduce Asian citrus psyllid (the vector of HLB) infestations will also be conducted within 250 meters of the find site. By taking this action, a critical reservoir of the disease and its vectors will be removed, which is essential to protect surrounding citrus from this deadly disease.

For more information, visit CDFA.ca.gov.