UCCE Ventura County- Blogs
ACP News
HLB Update - Ventura County Detections
There have been no new confirmed positive HLB detections in Ventura since early February, and no recent expansions to the 5-mile HLB quarantine in place in the Santa Paula area. To see a map of the current HLB quarantine areas and other details of HLB detections throughout the state, updated weekly, please visit maps.cdfa.ca.gov/WeeklyACPMaps/HLBWeb/HLB_Treatments.pdf.
Visit Information for Citrus Growers/Grove Managers for the most up to date mitigation requirements for moving bulk citrus to, from, and within an HLB quarantine. Even if mitigation is not required, it is still required for growers to submit an ACP-Free Declaration Form to the applicable county agricultural commissioner's (CAC) office in advance. The ACP-Free Declaration Form has been updated to reflect these changes.
There have been no confirmed positive HLB detections or HLB quarantines in Santa Barbara county to date.
2024 Ventura County ACP-HLB Grower Meeting June 11 - In person or via Zoom
All are welcome. June 11th, 8:30am - 1pm at United Water Conservation District, 1701 Lombard Street in Oxnard, or on Zoom (Meeting ID: 833 1062 0864, Passcode ACPHLB). This meeting has been approved for 4 DPR CEUs (1.25 Laws, 2.75 Other). To receive CEUs you must attend in person and pre-register with DPR at https://cereported/courses/290. If you are not seeking CEUs, there is no registration required.
The full agenda is below.
Citrus Program Leadership Changes
The California Department of Food and Agriculture's (CDFA) Pest and Disease Prevention Division (CPDPD) has announced that as of May 14, 2024, Victoria Hornbaker, former director of the CPDPD, transitioned to her new role as the director of the CDFA's Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services (PHPPS) Division. David Gutierrez, branch chief of the CPDPD, will serve as interim director while a recruitment process is conducted to find a permanent hire for the role. Read Full Article Here
Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Committee Meetings -- Webinar and In Person
All meeting agendas and eventually the minutes are posted at www.cdfa.ca.gov/citrus committee/. The 2023-24 schedule for the Full Committee is here, and the schedule for Subcommittees is here.
- Executive Subcommittee - June 26
- Finance Subcommittee - July 9
- Operations Subcommittee - July 10
- Outreach Subcommittee - July 17
- Full Committee - August 8
All meetings are free and open to the public to listen to or make public comment. Meetings are currently in person and accessible via phone and/or webinar. Links to register for and join meetings are included in agendas when posted.
For a list of all current committee members, click here.
Important ACP/HLB Documents and Resources
- CDFA Citrus Division website: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/Citrus/
- Regulatory/Quarantine
oSign up for regulatory updates from the Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Division at www.cdfa/signup-email-updates.
oInteractive map to find out how close you are to HLB detections.
oRegulatory requirements for moving bulk citrus: Information for Citrus Growers
oSummary of regulatory requirements in the event of an HLB detection in commercial citrus: citrusinsider.org/Regulatory-Flyer
oSanta Barbara County Ag Commissioner's Office
- General ACP/HLB
oInformation on the state ACP/HLB program including maps, quarantine information, and a signup option for email alerts: citrusinsider.org/
oBiology of ACP and HLB, detection maps and recommendations for monitoring, eradication and management: ucanr.edu/sites/acp/
oUC IPM recommendations for ACP insecticides
oVideo on Best Practices in the Field, available in English and Spanish
oEn español -- Spanish-only ACP/HLB presentation video presentation and audio-only recording.
- Research
oLatest Science Advisory Panel Report
oUC Ag Experts Talk presentations on management of various citrus pests and diseases are available for viewing here and here on YouTube.
oCitrus Research Board video presentations from webinar series and California Citrus Conference
oSummaries of the latest research to combat HLB: ucanr.edu/sites/scienceforcitrushealth/
oScience-based analyses to guide policy decisions, logistics, and operations: www.datoc.us
-------- FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT
Cressida Silvers
CA Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Program
ACP/HLB Grower Liaison
Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties
805 284-3310 (phone or text)
ACP grower meeting june 2024
Hydrogels and Argentine Ants
Update on Novel Ant Control Method in Citrus (MyAgLife in Citrus, Episode 828)
Recently, the Citrus Research Boards, IPM Entomologist, Ivan Milosavljevi?, Ph.D., was a guest on Episode 828 of MyAgLife in Citrus, where he provided an update on on a novel method of ant control in citrus. This method utilizes hydrogel beads filled with trace pesticide amounts.
To listen to the episode, please click below.
Episode 828 | April 30, 2024 | MyAgLife in Citrus – MyAgLife Daily News Report
argentine ant and hydrogels
Florida's Declining Citrus Production
Florida's citrus industry has long been susceptible to freezes, hurricanes, and disease. A series of devastating freezes in the 1970s and 1980s caused production to shift to more southern regions of the State. Then after near-record output in the 2003/04 season, subsequent events decreased Florida's orange output at an average rate of 6 percent a year. Between 2004 and 2005, 4 hurricanes reduced the size of the orange crop and further spread citrus canker, a bacterial disease damaging to tree health and fruit quality, to previously unaffected areas. The Florida citrus industry faced an additional challenge in 2005, when citrus greening disease, a bacterial disease deadly to citrus trees, was first detected in its commercial groves. Citrus greening disease leads to premature fruit drop, unripe fruit, and eventual tree death. With no known cure, citrus growers use a variety of management strategies to protect young trees, increase tree immune response, sustain grove health, and improve fruit marketability. While these management strategies can partially offset yield losses, they increase the costs of production. Hurricanes in 2017 and 2022 dealt further damage to Florida's citrus industry. Since 2003/04, bearing acreage of Florida's orange trees has declined at an average rate of 3 percent per year. In April 2024, USDA forecast Florida's orange 2023/24 production at 846,000 tons, 19 percent higher than the previous year but the second-lowest harvest in nearly 90 years. This chart updates information in the USDA, Economic Research Service Fruit and Tree Nuts Outlook, published in March 2023.
From USDA: https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/gallery/chart-detail/?chartId=109051
oranges affecte by hlb
New Avocado Herbicide
Rely® 280 Herbicide Available for Use in California Avocado Groves
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation has approved the herbicide Rely® 280 (glufosinate-ammonium) for use in avocado groves in California. Rely® 280 is a post-emergence broad-spectrum herbicide for use against broadleaf and grassy weeds. Glufosinate-ammonium is an excellent alternative to glyphosate, especially for those weeds that have developed glyphosate resistance.
The California Avocado Commission provided funding for Dr. Peggy Mauk, extension professor for subtropical horticulture at the University of California-Riverside, to conduct efficacy trials with glufosinate-ammonium and the IR-4 program provided funding for the required phytotoxicity (crop safety) trials. “Glufosinate-ammonium is an effective broad-spectrum herbicide,” said Mauk. “The weed that is the biggest problem here in Riverside is mare's tail or hairy fleabane ( Erigeron bonariensis). Glufosinate will kill it depending on the application timing and size of the plants. Treating for weeds is also going to be seasonal…the spring is usually worse because spring rains bring a lot of weeds, especially this past year.”
Currently, growers must have a copy of the DPR approved supplemental label in their possession when using Rely® 280. The DPR-approved label has a stamp on it with the wording "LABELING ACCEPTABLE State of California Department of Pesticide Regulation Pesticide Registration" and can be downloaded here. This supplemental label expires on December 1, 2025, and BASF, Rely® 280's manufacturer, anticipates that all old product will be used by that date and new product with avocado listed on the package label will be fully in the supply chain by that date.
Dr. Mauk's phytotoxicity trials found minimal damage, assuming sound application practices are followed. “Spray applications should not be made when there is a breeze,” Mauk emphasized. “If the wind carries the herbicide onto the plants, there can be some leaf discoloration. The discoloration appears as occasional purple spots on the leaves. There is not widespread damage. We also never saw any discoloration on the avocado fruit.”
General questions about this registration can be directed to CAC's Research Director Dr. Tim Spann at tim@spannag.com or 423-609-3451. For specific questions regarding the use of Rely® 280 growers should contact their Pest Control Advisor.
palmer amaranth
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