Growers in San Luis Obispo County should be on high alert due to more than 20 Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) detections in the county since January. A majority of the detections were on residential properties around Nipomo Elementary School. To protect commercial citrus from Huanglongbing (HLB), it is critical to keep ACP populations in groves as low as possible. Growers should stay vigilant for signs of the pest and inspect their trees regularly.
Commercial growers within 800 meters of the recent ACP detections have been notified and have either recently treated their affected groves or are planning to as soon as possible. Other growers in the area should stay vigilant for signs of the insect in their trees. ACP prefer orchard borders so focus monitoring efforts there. If you see suspect ACP is in your citrus, please notify the California Department of Food and Agriculture Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899.
Growers conducting pre-harvest ACP treatments for quarantine compliance should take extra care along border rows for better protection. For information on approved pre-harvest applications and other requirements for movement of bulk citrus fruit, click here. Growers should submit a Pesticide Use Report for this application as soon as possible.
CDFA and the county agricultural commissioner’s office are increasing trap densities and conducting visual surveys in the area to better define the infestation.
For questions, contact San Luis Obispo County’s grower liaison Cressida Silvers at cressidasb@gmail.com or 1-805-284-3310.