The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has placed the state’s San Gabriel area under quarantine following the detection of huanglongbing (HLB) disease, also known as citrus greening.
The 87-square mile (140km) quarantined area has expanded on the quarantine area of Hacienda Heights, where citrus greening was detected on in a residential tree earlier this month.
The quarantine prohibits the removal of any fruit other than commercially clean and packed fruit, as well as any movement of nursery stock.
“The success of any quarantine depends on cooperation from those affected,” said CDFA secretary Karen Ross in a statement released 22 July. “The stakes couldn’t be higher for California citrus. We urge residents in the San Gabriel-area to do all they can to comply.”
CDFA is working alongside the USDA and Los Angeles Country Agricultural Commissioner to survey and test the area for disease, which has been detected four times in the San Gabriel area in citrus tress on residential properties.
HLB is a bacterial disease that spreads via the Asian citrus psyllid – a pest that feeds on citrus and other plants, and has been detected in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina and Texas.
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