Citrus quarantine expands in Arizona

This week, the Arizona Department of Agriculture quarantined two new areas of the state because of the Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP). The areas include an expansion of the existing Yuma quarantine into western Pima County and a new area around Nogales because of the increased detections of the pest.

 

ACP can carry a devastating disease called citrus greening disease or Huanglongbing (HLB). Fortunately HLB hasn’t been found in the state yet, but it is edging closer to Arizona, threatening backyard trees and the citrus industry. Since 2006, HLB has cost Florida’s economy an estimated $3.36 billion in lost revenues and 6,611 jobs, and continues to threaten all citrus production areas of the U.S. and Mexico.

 

State quarantines restrict movement of potential carriers of the pest, and the state requires treatment of any commercial citrus groves or nursery where the ACP has been detected.