LINDSAY, Calif. — Once the dust settled about how wide an area of Tulare County would be regulated for Asian citrus psyllid, California’s citrus growers and packers say the new rules haven’t been too disruptive.
But that’s not to say that the new requirements haven’t meant additional management, paperwork and costs.
Vicky BoydThe Tulare County agriculture commissioner’s has increased the number of Asian citrus psyllid traps in the county to help detect the pest, which can carry huanglongbing, also known as citrus greening disease or HLB. “It’s just another routine that we have to go through,” said Richard Sholander, director of field operations for LoBue Citrus. “It’s just more coordination — that’s all it boils down to.”
The reason behind the new rules is Asian citrus psyllid can carry the bacteria responsible for citrus greening, also known as huanglongbing or HLB. Although the organism is harmless to humans, it can stunt and even kill citrus trees.
On Dec. 12, the California Department of Food and Agriculture designated two restricted zones radiating out 5 miles from where a total of three Asian citrus psyllids were trapped.
One zone encompasses Lindsay and Strathmore, where two pests were found; the other takes in Terra Bella, where one pest was detected.
The zones fall short of outright quarantines, which could have carried additional regulations and potentially involved more acreage, said Larry Hawkins, a U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesman in Sacramento.
Under the Tulare County regulations, commercial citrus groves within 800 feet of a psyllid find are in an eradication zone, and growers must treat them with an approved insecticide.
California Department of Food and Agriculture representatives will spray all non-commercial citrus within the eradication zone.
Growers within the restricted zone but outside of the 800 feet have the option of removing all stems and leaves from citrus before loads leave the area or treating with an approved insecticide.
If they choose the latter option, they have seven days from the end of the insecticide’s re-entry interval to pick the fruit. An exemption added in mid-February extends the picking period to 10 days if there’s wet weather, said Gavin Iacono, Tulare County deputy agricultural commissioner.
As a result, growers typically designate a block or blocks they plan for upcoming picking and only treat those, said Bob Blakely, director of industry relations for Exeter-based California Citrus Mutual.
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