California's Department of Food and Agriculture has expanded the Huanglongbing (HLB) quarantine boundary in San Diego County after confirming one HLB-positive residential citrus tree in Fallbrook. The CDFA is also expanding the Asian Citrus Psyllid Bulk Citrus Regional Quarantine Zone 6 in connection with the new detection.
HLB — commonly known as citrus greening — is a bacterial disease spread by the Asian citrus psyllid that has no cure and eventually kills infected trees. It has devastated Florida's citrus industry over the past two decades and its continued spread in California represents a serious long-term threat to domestic citrus supply. Each new confirmed case and quarantine expansion signals the disease is not contained.
The commercial citrus impact in San Diego is limited for now, but watch for how containment efforts progress heading into the fall citrus season, and whether any commercial groves come under increased scrutiny.