Citrus pest discovered in Somerton, state quarantine expected

November 4, 11:55 AMArizona Rural Headlines ExaminerTrudy Schuett

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Citrus greening disease is primarily spread by a tiny insect, the Asian citrus psyllid. No bigger than the head of a pin, the infected insect spreads the disease as it feeds on the leaves and stems of citrus trees. Once the Asian citrus psyllid picks up the disease, it carries it for the rest of its life. Citrus greening is then spread by moving infected plant material, such as potted plants, bud wood and even leaves. More at saveourcitrus.org (USDA photo)

---Asian Citrus Psyllids confirmed in Somerton, Arizona---

AZ Farm Bureau announcement:

Monday evening Arizona Department of Agriculture’s Plant Service’s entomologist provided positive confirmation of Psyllids taken from a trap in Somerton, Arizona as Asian Citrus Psyllids (ACP). This new detection is the department’s third, and is approximately ten miles north of the detections in San Luis, Arizona.  All detections have been males.

The next day, the Department held joint meetings with USDA-APHIS and Yuma area packers and other industry stakeholders to discuss a proposed quarantine area and the implications of that regulation. The department plans to issue a state quarantine tomorrow, covering an area extending in a 20-mile radius arc from the detection in Somerton outward. This quarantine area will cover the entire production area of Yuma County with the exception of groves located east of Telegraph Pass. The current Federal Order will subsequently be revised to incorporate Arizona’s quarantine.

USDA-APHIS will manage the regulatory side of the quarantine as the division is not staffed to manage the requirements of this large quarantine area including the issuance of compliance agreements, monitoring of same and associated inspections.

G. John Caravetta and Jerry Levitt, USDA-APHIS State Plant Health Director, after presenting trade concerns regarding Korea and Australia, were able to secure confirmation from USDA-APHIS trade officials late Tuesday that shipments to Korea can be exempted from the recently issued policy that no citrus shipments would be certified to Korea or Australia due to their listing of ACP as a quarantine pest of concern.  Australia is being negotiated beginning later this week in a bi-lateral trade negotiation; however, the Korean market is a bigger market issue for Arizona producers.

An informal proposal for increased funding to support the Plant Services’ Division detection efforts both in the quarantine area and other areas of the State was submitted to USDA for consideration on Tuesday. The funding request was for $3 million for the State ($1.75 million for detection work in central Arizona; $1 million for detection work in Yuma County and $250,000 for administrative support for the program in the division) and $1 million for USDA-APHIS in Arizona for program support in Yuma County.

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