On Jan. 18, 2012, the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) issued a news release confirming that citrus greening (aka Huanglongbing) disease was found in a commercial orange grove in San Juan (South Texas). (See http://bit.ly/zh85YD.) This disease is of no threat to human health, but it can devastate a citrus plant. An emergency quarantine of a 5-mile radius around the infected grove was immediately put in place by TDA to limit potential spread and to protect our Texas citrus industry.

This disease can cause fruits to have a bitter and sour taste. Fruits may also become malformed. In 2005, this disease was first found in Florida. TDA is aggressively protecting the Texas citrus industry by imposing a quarantine that will prohibit movement of any plant material that may harbor the citrus greening pathogen.

The general public can play a large role in helping to protect Texas citrus.
• For those living in the Rio Grande Valley, application of a pesticide against the vector (Asian Citrus Psyllid) on their citrus trees will help to limit the potential spread by vector.
• Texas growers and gardeners should not move or import plant material from states (Florida, Louisiana, Alabama) or the area within the state of Texas (Hidalgo County) where Citrus Greening has been reported.

For more information about citrus greening disease and a spray program for the Asian Citrus Psyllid, please visit http://texascitrusgreening.org.

For educational/ informational material, please visit
http://plantclinic.tamu.edu/citrusgreening.

Thank you to Dr. Kevin Ong, director of the Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab at Texas AgriLife Extension Service, for this public service announcement.