Detection of HLB in Fallbrook Triggers Quarantine Expansion in San Diego County
A newly established quarantine area has been declared following the detection of the deadly citrus plant disease Huanglongbing (HLB) in one tree located on a residential property in the Fallbrook area of San Diego County. This is the first time the disease has been confirmed in the community of Fallbrook, marking the fourth area in San Diego County to have a positive detection of HLB. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is working with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and San Diego County to treat and remove the HLB-infected tree and prevent the spread of HLB into neighboring areas.
This detection results in the establishment of an HLB quarantine area with a five-mile radius around the find site. The quarantine prohibits residents and commercial operations from moving any host plants within or out of the area, and fruit grown in the area must undergo additional mitigation steps before it can be transported within or from this area. The quarantine zone will connect the existing quarantine boundaries in the Oceanside and Valley Center areas of San Diego County.
The updated HLB quarantine maps for San Diego County are now available online. Please check this link for potential future quarantine expansions, should they occur.
CDFA staff have scheduled the removal of the infected tree and are in the midst of a treatment program for citrus trees within 250-meters of the find site. By taking this action, a critical reservoir of the disease and its vectors will be removed, which is essential to protect other citrus trees on the property, neighboring commercial groves and the community’s citrus from this deadly disease. CDFA, in partnership with USDA, local County Agricultural Commissioners and the citrus industry, continues to pursue a strategy of controlling the spread of the Asian citrus psyllid while researchers work to find a cure for HLB.
Citrus growers, industry members and property owners with 25 or more citrus trees in San Diego County and the surrounding areas are invited to attend a meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 9 a.m. at the Fallbrook Public Utility District (990 E Mission Rd., Fallbrook, CA 92028) or online to discuss details surrounding the newly established HLB quarantine area in Fallbrook. Registration is not required to attend, but it is encouraged. To RSVP, please complete the following form: https://forms.gle/drUh1PyqK1SSeBBf6
Meeting details, including Zoom log-in information for virtual attendees, will be sent following RSVP.
Questions? If you are a citrus grower in San Diego County and have questions about this detection or the meeting being held on Sept. 25, please contact your Grower Liaison Sandra Zwaal at szwaal2@gmail.com.