Asian Psyllid Fight
Tulare
County - Citrus growers across the nation are hopeful the federal
government will again pony up funds to continue the fight against the
Asian Citrus Psyllid – a pest that carries a disease that so far
has no cure and considered the biggest threat to the nation's citrus industry
ever.
“Growers are very concerned. They should be,” said George McEwen with Leffingwell Ag Sales. “This is our livelihood. This takes everything out,” he said as he returned from Washington D.C. where he and other citrus growers were lobbying for the feds to come up with $58 million to continue the fight against the psyllid.
The psyllid carries the disease huanglongbing (HLB) that has already devastated more than 150,000 acres in Florida where the disease has around been for about 12 years. HLB is also in Georgia, South Carolina and Louisiana.
Two weeks ago McEwen updated about 200 area citrus growers on the disease and the efforts to keep it in check. The Asian Citrus Psyllid has been discovered in Southern California, but not yet in the San Joaquin Valley. And, so far, the disease it carries has not been found in the state, but no one is relaxing.
“We don't have the disease here,” said McEwen, “but we really don't know.” He said the disease went undetected for quite a while in Florida and the concern is that someone smuggling in fruit from infected areas will bring the disease to the Valley.
The disease, also known as greening disease, weakens and eventually kills the tree it infects. It can take three or four years for a tree to die.
“It is very critical for us,” stressed McEwen, adding a 17-member statewide committee has been formed to monitor the moving of the psyllid and the disease and to set policies on how to deal with the pest.
The psyllid is not much larger than an aphid. It was first discovered in the US in 1998.
McEwen said the disease has gotten so bad in Florida that some growers have abandoned entire orchards, which had made the efforts to control the pest more difficult. He predicted the citrus industry will be gone in that state within five years if a cure or some way to control the disease is not found.
Growers are hoping the feds will continue to step up. Last year it put up $45 million to combat the pest and the disease and this year they are asking for $58 million.
He said the government is also working with Mexico that reportedly also has the pest and the disease.
Solutions for now are to control the psyllid through treatments in back yards.
“If we can control the psyllid and keep it down, we can control the disease,” he said. He added this summer will be important because the pest is more prolific in warm months.
Research is ongoing to find a solution. One solution might be genetics or the development of a resistant type of rootstock, but that would mean replacing every tree in the state. For now, diligence in keeping the pest from making its way into the Valley is best defense.
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of The Valley Voice Newspaper and may not be reprinted without explicit
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