Northern San Diego County has been placed under quarantine by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) after the discovery of Huanglongbing in the area. HLB has been detected at a residential property in the City of Oceanside, marking the first time that the disease has been confirmed in San Diego County. The discovery was made in the plant material of one orange tree and one lemon tree, both of which have since been removed and disposed of by CDFA.
As a result of the detection, a 68-square-mile quarantine area has been established around the area of the discovery. CDFA is working on response efforts with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the San Diego County Agricultural Commissioner. A mandatory survey is being conducted of every residential property within 250-meters of the detection site. Once completed, all host plants in the area will be treated to suppress the disease and its vector, ACP. CDFA will be contacting commercial citrus growers, nurseries and packinghouses in the quarantine area, with information about the new requirements for moving bulk citrus fruit.
A grower meeting will be held in response to the latest HLB discovery, which is scheduled for Thursday, August 26 at the Fallbrook Public Utility Office. Industry members can also participate via Zoom.
Listen to the radio report below.
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