Citrus Canker Disease Raises Its Ugly Head in South Georgia
June 20, 2022 
Citrus canker has been confirmed in Georgia, according to plant health officials. Pictured here are symptoms of citrus canker on leaves and fruit.
Photo courtesy of the Florida Division of Plant Industry
The Georgia Department of Agriculture has alerted commercial and backyard citrus growers that citrus canker has been found in the state. USDA’s Plant Protection and Quarantine (USDA APHIS PPQ) laboratory recently confirmed a suspected sample from a commercial citrus grove in Decatur County was citrus canker.
“Citrus canker is not harmful to humans, pets, or other animals but it is another disease our growers need to be on the lookout for,” says Georgia Department of Agriculture Commissioner Gary W. Black. “We want our citrus growers to be aware, so their produce remains marketability as fresh fruit.”
Citrus canker is caused by the bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas citri, subspecies citri, and is a serious disease of all citrus varieties. The malady is highly contagious to citrus only and spreads rapidly through wind, rain and via people on their hands, clothes and tools. The microscopic bacteria enter the leaves, fruit and twigs through natural pores for gas exchange and through any type of wound, including those from pruning and insect feeding damage. One of the most common types of insect damage on citrus is the leafminer.
Canker was first introduced in 1912 into Florida and was declared eradicated in 1933. The disease was found again in the Tampa area on citrus in 1986. It was declared eradicated in 1994, but once again was found in 1995 in Miami. This time, the disease was not successfully eradicated in part because hurricanes made the disease too widespread to control.
Another serious plant disease — Citrus greening (aka, HLB) — is already established in some Georgia counties and is regulated by the USDA.
Federal guidelines require surveys to determine the extent of citrus canker establishment in the state. Personnel from the state Department of Ag and USDA APHIS are continuing to survey the area.
Any grower that suspects his or her trees may be infected with citrus canker should contact University of Georgia Extension or the Department of Ag’s Plant Protection office at 404-586-1140 to submit a sample.
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