The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) have confirmed the positive identification of citrus yellow vein clearing virus (CYVCV) in residential citrus trees in the Lodi area of San Joaquin County.
This is the third area of California that has had a confirmed CYVCV detection, following the first detections in Tulare County in 2022 and Los Angeles County in 2023.
As a result of the detections, a half-mile quarantine area has been established around the detection sites. CDFA officials, in coordination with the San Joaquin County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office, are surveying residential properties within and around the quarantine areas and are collecting samples from host plants for additional testing. The quarantine may be expanded following any additional CYVCV-positive tree detections. The current quarantine boundaries can be found on CDFA’s website.
Photo credit: https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/CSYV00/photos
CYVCV can be spread by vectors as they move from tree to tree feeding on foliage. The vectors include citrus whitefly, green citrus aphid, melon or cotton aphid, and cowpea aphid, which are all known to be present in California. CYVCV can also be spread through grafting and the movement of infected propagative materials and rootstocks, and contaminated tools and equipment. While there is no treatment for CYVCV, as of now, the best mitigation measures are to control the virus’ vectors and sanitize tools and equipment.
To the greatest extent possible, growers are encouraged to urge their field crews to clean and sanitize all their equipment thoroughly between jobs or when moving between groves.
For any questions about CYVCV, please call the CDFA Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899 or visit CDFA’s website to learn more.