California citrus

California’s San Gabriel area is being monitored after huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening disease, was detected in residential kumquat tree.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) have confirmed the detection of the disease, the second time the California’s Los Angeles county has been hit with HLB since it was first found in a residential citrus tree in 2012.

The disease is spread through the pest Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), with no cure once a tree is infected, often killing the tree within a few years.

“Citrus is a cherished part of our landscape and our shared history, as well as a major agricultural crop,” CDFA secretary Karen Ross said in a statement released 10 July. “CDFA is moving quickly to protect the state’s citrus. We have been planning and preparing for HLB detections with our growers and our colleagues at the federal and local levels since before the Asian citrus psyllid was first detected here in 2008.”

The infected tree has been removed and nearby citrus trees are being surveyed for HLB and ACP, while a quarantine of the area is being plan to limit the spread of the disease.

HLB is present in southern states of the US including Florida, where the disease is has cost growers around US$3.6bn in revenue since 2007, according to University of Florida researcher Nian Wang.