Hi Everyone,
I just published a new video answering questions that people have asked via email and via YouTube comments:
https://youtu.be/gqyQZSKHyBQ I hope that you will enjoy the video. I did my best to make it interesting. I shot the video at the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Lab in Sacramento where they are working to contain the spread of HLB in California. The video gives a bit of a tour of the lab including the 2-million-specimen CDFA insect collection.
Based upon a recent post here, a bit of background may help. When the Asian citrus psyllid was discovered in Florida, the inadequate response led to the rapid spread of HLB all over the state of Florida. Because the Asian citrus psyllid had existed for many years in South America as a minor nuisance because the insect was introduced without the disease, the authorities in Florida made the mistaken assumption that the insect would not be a problem in Florida. Unfortunately, some Floridians has smuggled budwood into the state from Asia where HLB is widespread. HLB infected trees were propagated from this imported budwood. When the insects hit those infected trees, the disease spread rapidly. Furthermore, citrus nurseries in Miami had no protection from the insect and shipped disease infected and insect infested trees all over the state of Florida, devastating citrus farms and making it very difficult for hobbyist homeowners to grow citrus because the trees die so fast.
Florida farmers responded with insecticides and were slow to remove infected trees.
California has learned from the disaster in Florida and is doing its best to stop the disease. There has been quite a bit of bad information coming out of Florida that has the potential to harm California citrus. One of the questions concerns is about a YouTube video from someone who calls himself "Uncle Matt". "Uncle Matt" is a farmer who shows the spraying of compost tea on citrus trees as a supposed remedy. The strategy has not worked out so well for "Uncle Matt" who now imports most of his juice from outside Florida. A recent article has pointed out that his acreage has been reduced from 485 hectares to 60 hectares.
Here is a recent article about a California farmer's approach to the problem of HLB, a decision that was helped by the disaster in Florida:
http://www.agalert.com/story/?id=13272Best regards,
Dan