Official Pest Report

Official Pest Reports are provided by National Plant Protection Organizations within the NAPPO region. These Pest Reports are intended to comply with the International Plant Protection Convention's Standard on Pest Reporting, endorsed by the Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures in March 2002.

Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Citrus Canker): APHIS Establishes and Expands Quarantined Areas in Texas

Country: United States

Title:

Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Citrus Canker): APHIS Establishes and Expands Quarantined Areas in Texas

Contact:
Abby R. Stilwell, National Policy Manager, at (919) 323-6296 or Abby.R.Stilwell@usda.gov and Avraham Eitam, Assistant National Policy Manager, at (614) 205-5465 or Avraham.Eitam@usda.gov.

Report:

Effective immediately, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) are establishing four new quarantined areas for citrus canker in Hidalgo County, Texas, and expanding one existing quarantined area for citrus canker in Cameron County, Texas, to prevent the spread of the disease.

This action is necessary because APHIS confirmed the positive identification of citrus canker in citrus trees from residential areas in the Hidalgo, McAllen, Pharr, and San Juan areas of Hidalgo County leading to new quarantined areas in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV). In addition, further detections of confirmed positive citrus canker in residential areas have expanded the quarantined area in the Rancho Viejo area of Cameron County in the LRGV. TDA has established intrastate quarantined areas for citrus canker that parallel the federal citrus canker regulatory requirements specified in 7 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) § 301.75 et seq.

Under the current citrus canker quarantine regulations, the interstate movement of citrus plants and plant parts, other than commercially packed and disinfected citrus fruit, remains prohibited. Citrus nursery stock that is moved in accordance with regulations contained in 7 CFR § 301.75-6 may move from areas quarantined for citrus canker.

The establishment of these quarantined areas is reflected on the APHIS citrus canker webpage, which also contains a description of all the current federal citrus canker quarantined areas. APHIS will publish a notice of this change in the Federal Register.

Under IPPC standards, Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri causal agent of citrus canker is present only in some areas in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. This species is not widely distributed and is under official control in the United States.

Posted Date: April 29, 2024, 3:52 p.m.