The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)1 had anounced that a portion of Madera County has been placed under quarantine for the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) following the detection of one ACP northeast of the City of Madera, in the Madera Lake area.
According to the CDFA, the quarantine zone measures 100 square miles, bordered on the north by Road 603; on the south by Avenue 15; on the west by Road 26; and on the east by the Madera Canal.
The ACP is an invasive species of grave concern because it can carry the disease huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening.
The quarantine prohibits the movement of citrus and curry tree nursery stock out of the quarantine area and requires that all citrus fruit be cleaned of leaves and stems prior to moving out of the quarantine area. An exception may be made for nursery stock and budwood grown in USDA-approved structures that are designed to keep ACP and other insects out.
ACP county-wide quarantines are now in place in Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Tulare, and Ventura counties, with portions of Madera, Fresno, Kern, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Clara counties also under quarantine.
All citrus and closely related species, such as curry trees, are susceptible hosts for both the insect and disease. There is no cure once a tree becomes infected, the diseased tree will decline in health and produce bitter, misshaped fruit until it dies.
HLB has been detected just once in California – in 2012 on a single residential property in Hacienda Heights, Los Angeles County.This plant disease does not affect human health.
