Yuma citrus production area to be under quarantine

Much of the citrus production area in Yuma County is being placed in a quarantine area after inspectors found a third Asian citrus psyllid in the area.

The insect is of grave concern because it can carry the disease Huanglongbing, more commonly known as citrus greening, that is fatal to infected citrus trees and is considered a major threat to the industry.

The most recent insect was found Monday in the vicinity of Avenue C and 15th Street, about 10 miles north of two earlier detections in San Luis, Ariz., said John Caravetta, associate director of the Arizona Department of Agriculture. All three insects were found in sticky traps placed in residential citrus trees.

The newest detection is near Yuma and within a mile of commercial citrus groves, Caravetta said Wednesday.

On Tuesday, state and federal agriculture officials met with Yuma-area citrus packers and other industry stakeholders to discuss a proposed quarantine area and the implications of that regulation, he said.

The Agriculture Department plans to issue a state quarantine today, covering an area extending in a 20-mile radius from the Somerton detection site. This quarantine area will cover the entire production area of Yuma County with the exception of groves located east of Telegraph Pass, Caravetta said.

The quarantine will also be adopted by U.S. Department of Agriculture-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

That means that any commercial citrus being shipped out of Yuma County will have to go through a packing house for cleaning, washing and packing before being sold, he said.

This could have an impact on Yuma County's citrus exports, he said.

At the moment, no shipments will be allowed to Australia, a major market for area citrus, he said. However, USDA-APHIS trade officials said late Tuesday that shipments to Korea, an even larger market, will be allowed.

The quarantine also impacts citrus nursery stock, Caravetta said. It can only be sold and planted inside the quarantine area.

Caravetta said inspectors will continue their trapping and visual monitoring for the psyllid in residential areas.

Agriculture officials also plan to meet with homeowners in the San Luis area where the first two psyllids were found to announce plans for treatment, he said.

A map of the quarantine area will be posted on www.azda.gov.

If homeowners have questions about their citrus trees, they can call the Arizona Department of Agriculture office in Yuma County at 341-1680.

Joyce Lobeck can be reached at jlobeck@yumasun.com or 539-6853.