Citrus Quarantine Program (CQP)
The department’s Citrus Quarantine Program (CQP) supports and promotes the local citrus industry by enforcing Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP) and Huanglongbing (HLB) quarantine regulations. Inspections conducted by CQP inspectors ensure compliance in order to suppress the movement of ACP and therefore mitigate the potential spread of HLB.
***New Announcement for Commercial and Residential Citrus Growers ***
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have confirmed the
detection of the citrus disease known as Huanglongbing
(HLB) in Valley Center. This is the third quarantine area in the
county.
The County of San Diego Department of Agriculture, Weights & Measures (AWM) issued a press release and flyer following the detection and announcement of quarantine. AWM helps protect California citrus by ensuring consumers, home gardeners, and agricultural producers comply with laws and regulations, including quarantines, to prevent entry and limit the spread of pests and plant diseases in the county.
HLB is spread by the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) a tiny insect that may transmit the bacteria from citrus tree to citrus tree as they feed on new growth. The bacteria cause HLB, deadly to citrus and has no cure but not harmful to other plants, animals, or people.
Valley Center
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The disease was detected in plant material samples collected during a routine state survey for HLB.
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The infected trees must be treated and removed. CDFA is preparing to conduct mandatory surveying and treatment of residential host plants within 250-meters of the find site. Taking these steps will remove a critical reservoir of the disease and vectors that can spread the disease, an essential tactic in protecting nearby citrus.
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Any plant samples positive for HLB enact a 5-mile quarantine area. An HLB detection in any property (commercial or residential) initiates additional requirements.
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Commercial citrus operations (growers, packers, shippers, transporters, and fruit sellers) within the quarantine area will need an HLB Compliance Agreement issued by CDFA, and must follow Spray and Harvest procedures to move citrus fruit.
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Visit CitrusInsider and CaliforniaCitrusThreat for more information.
Information for Industry Members
- CDFA staff is in contact with the property owner to ensure the
infected trees will be properly removed and disposed of, in addition
to ensuring a treatment program is properly in place to treat all
citrus trees within 250-meters of the detections.
- CDFA crews are preparing to conduct mandatory surveying and
treatment of all residential host plants within 250-meters of the
find site. By taking these steps, a critical reservoir of the
disease and its vectors will be removed, which is essential to
protect the surrounding citrus from this deadly disease.
- These detections establish a mandatory HLB
quarantine area with a five-mile radius around the find site. The
quarantine prohibits the movement of all host nursery stock, host
plants and plant parts within a five-mile radius of the find site.
Fruit grown in the area must undergo additional mitigation step(s)
before it can be transported into or out of this area. This
quarantine applies to residents and commercial operations
alike.
- Production and retail nurseries within
the five-mile quarantine will be contacted shortly by CDFA and will
be issued a hold notice preventing the sale of nursery stock host
plants.
- These detections will also place
additional parts of San Diego County into Bulk Citrus Regional
Quarantine Zone 6, which will require any commercial citrus growers
in the area to apply additional mitigation step(s) prior to citrus
being transported into or out of the HLB quarantine. Visit CitrusInsider’s
Map and Quarantines page for more details.
- All citrus growers, packers, transporters, and fruit sellers in
the county must have an ACP Compliance Agreement from AWM to move
any citrus fruit (contact CQP.AWM@sdcounty.ca.gov).
- Commercial citrus growers may contact San Diego
County Citrus Pest Control District at 951-334-7611 or CDFA Grower
Liaison Sandra Zwaal at szwaal2@gmail.com for more
information.
- The interactive citrus quarantine map can be used to determine if you are inside the quarantine: Active Regional Quarantines Web Application.
Information for Residents
- The infected trees will be treated and removed, and
agriculture officials are moving swiftly on mandatory surveying and
treatments within a 250-meter area of the find site. Taking these
steps will remove a critical reservoir of the disease and vectors
that can spread the disease, an essential tactic in protecting
nearby citrus.
-
These detections establish a mandatory HLB quarantine area with a five-mile radius around the find site. The quarantine prohibits residents and commercial operations from moving any host plants or plant parts within a five-mile radius, and fruit grown in the area must undergo additional mitigation step(s) before it can be transported into or out of this area.
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An HLB quarantine area currently exists in parts of San Diego County in the Oceanside and Rancho Bernardo areas in addition to parts of Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties, where more than 6,700 trees have tested positive for the disease and been removed, since 2012.
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It is a critical time for homeowners to protect their backyard citrus trees by searching for symptoms of Huanglongbing, also known as HLB or citrus greening disease, and reporting any suspicious symptoms immediately to the California Department of Food and Agriculture at 1-800-491-1899 or the local County Agricultural Commissioner’s office.
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Residents should cooperate with agriculture officials – allow them to access your property to survey citrus trees and take samples to look for the disease.
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HLB infected trees need to be removed to protect other trees, the community’s citrus, and the state’s vibrant commercial citrus industry.
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If you have citrus that is not cared for, consider removing it in order to prevent it from becoming a host to the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) or HLB.
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The ACP – the insect that spreads the disease – is similar in size to an aphid. Adults are brown, about 1/8th of an inch long, and feed with their bodies at a 45-degree angle.
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Symptoms of HLB include blotchy, yellowing of leaves; yellow shoots; lopsided, small and rancid-tasting fruit; and premature and excessive fruit drop.
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HLB is not harmful to humans or animals, but it is fatal for citrus trees.
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There is no cure for HLB. When a tree is infected, it will die.
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If you notice symptoms on your citrus trees or would like more information, please contact the CDFA Report-a-Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899.
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Visit CaliforniaCitrusThreat for more information.
Rancho Bernardo Quarantine Information
Oceanside Quarantine Information
Videos
Learn how to support the HLB fight as a citrus hobbyist at FruitMentor’s YouTube page (links below)
Dangers of Moving Citrus Fruit in California (Vietnamese)
English / Español / Tiếng Việt / 한국어 / 普通话 / 粵語
The Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program (CPDPP) Released a
new 30-second Public Service Announcement (PSA), “What If California
Citrus Disappeared?”
California Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Committee (CPDPC)
endorses “Best Practices for Growers in Response to HLB in California.”
To provide California citrus growers with a strong toolbox of
options to protect their orchards from Huanglongbing (HLB), the Citrus
Pest & Disease Prevention Committee has endorsed the following
“Best Practices for Growers in Response to HLB in California.” The
recommendations – which are grouped based on a grower’s proximity to
an HLB detection – represent the most effective tools known to the
citrus industry at this time and are meant to supplement the
California Department of Food and Agriculture’s required regulatory
response.
Growers are encouraged to use as many methods
as feasible for their operation in order to limit the spread of the
Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and HLB, as the cost to manage the Asian
citrus psyllid is far less than any potential costs or loss to the
industry should HLB take hold throughout our state.
Please visit CitrusInsider.org for more information.
Huanglongbing (HLB) Sampling for Growers
HLB Sample Collection and Submission Protocol
Citrus Pest Detection Program (CPDP) Services
The following are links that are provided to assist both homeowners and industry members alike.
Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program (CPDPP)
Homeowner Oriented: https://californiacitrusthreat.org/
Industry Oriented: https://citrusinsider.org/
California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) ACP Information
https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/acp/
CDFA Notice of Treatment (NOT) Information
https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/acp/treatment_maps.html#maps
CDFA currently coordinates areawide treatments for ACP present in San Diego county when no other mitigation methods are available. CDFA posts Notices of Treatment (NOTs) at least 48 hours in advance of any treatment. To view NOTs for San Diego county, please click here.
United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Citrus Information
Contact Information
Residents can contact the San Diego County Dept. of Agriculture, Weights & Measures’
Citrus Quarantine Program at CQP.AWM@sdcounty.ca.gov or by calling (858) 614-7770 for more information.
Commercial Growers can also contact the San Diego County
Grower Liaison, Sandra Zwaal, at szwaal2@gmail.com for more information.
Email labs.awm@sdcounty.ca.gov (Please put “Entomology” in the subject line to ensure timely routing) or call (858) 614-7738 for more information.
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