Agricultural
officials Friday confirmed the detection of Asian Citrus Psyllid
(ACP) in VC.
One adult ACP was found Thursday in a trap that had been placed
in a tangelo tree in northwest Valley Center.
This discovery triggered an emergency meeting of growers and
ag and industry officials in Escondido on Saturday at the San
Diego County Farm Bureau office.
Growers were updated on what is happening with the ACP in California.
The VC ACP site was treated on Friday. Officials said that many
more ACP traps will be placed in Valley Center in the near future.
Most, if not all, of San Diego County will be placed in an ACP
quarantine.
There was also a discussion about green waste in the county.
Officials do not want the waste moved throughout the county.
“We will continue to work diligently with the local citrus
industry and residents to minimize the impact to local and state
agriculture,” said County Agriculture Commissioner Bob
Atkins last week.
“San Diego County citrus, including fresh fruit and trees,
is a $64 million industry, so this is an insect that we don't
want established here,” said Atkins.
ACP can damage citrus plants by feeding on leaf tissues, causing
distortion and leaf curling.
Psyllids leave waxy tubules and honeydew, on which sooty mold
can develop, damaging the plant.
This insect is also an efficient carrier of the bacterium that
causes Huanglonbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening, because
the fruit does not color properly. Symptoms of HLB include yellowshoots,
mottling and yellowing of the leaves. Infected trees are stunted,
sparsely foliated and eventually die.
The disease also causes twigs to die, leaves and fruit to drop
and production of small, lopsided and hard fruit that is bitter
and inedible. There is no cure for HLB and diseased trees must
be removed as quickly as possible to prevent spread of the disease.
The psyllid threatens all varieties of citrus. Originally from
Asia, the pest is now found in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii,
Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Puerto Rico, Guam and portions
of California and South Carolina.
Residents can help by reporting suspicious insects to the CDFA
pest hotline at 800-491-1899. For more information, visit the
County's Agriculture, Weights & Measures Web site at www.sdcawm.org/
