Growing Concerns With Latest Citrus Psyllid Find in Southern California
Asian citrus psyllids populate citrus tree leaves. The invasive pest was found recently in Ventura County, CA. It was the first case in the southern California county that is home to lemon production. Photo credit: USDA
An Asian citrus psyllid, the vector for the HLB pathogen that kills citrus trees, has been found on a residential citrus tree in Ventura County, according to the California Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program.
“This really is a devastating find,” says Ben Faber, UC Cooperative Extension subtropical crops advisor for Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. “It means that Asian citrus psyllid that is infected with the HLB bacteria is present in the middle of a citrus-growing area that is currently and historically important for lemon production.”
This is the first confirmed case in Ventura County of Asian citrus psyllid testing positive for the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus. The bacterium is associated with huanglongbing, or HLB, also called citrus greening disease. HLB can kill a citrus tree in as few as five years, and there is no known cure or remedy. All commonly grown citrus varieties are susceptible to the pathogen, which means commercial citrus growers should monitor and treat to manage its vector to protect their groves. The additional expenses come at a bad time.
“The disease is a tree killer and it’s happening to growers who are already having difficult times with low lemon prices making it difficult for them to stay and continue farming,” Faber adds.
The infected Asian citrus psyllid was found in the Santa Paula area, but the UCCE farm advisor asks all Ventura County citrus tree owners to be on the lookout for the tiny, mottled brown insect about the size of an aphid.
For more, continue reading at ucanr.edu/news.
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