Answering questions on Asian Citrus Psyllids and HLB

[fruitmentor]

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=13272

Best regards,
Dan

[Millet]

Thank you Dan for all the effort you are putting forth to inform the public to the dangers of HLB, and where the public can obtain the help of the experts.  Your to be applauded. 

[Oolie]

Thank you very much for contributing the information you have gained.

I'm very curious as to what odor that the HLB bacteria produces that is distinct from the other odors produced by a citrus tree. Maybe the tree produces the odor once infected, but that's not implied by the wording of the article, which makes it seem as if the dogs are alerting to the specific bacteria itself, a remarkable phenomenon.

If you know what the sample they are using for the detection dog training is, I'm very curious, as I was not aware that the bacteria was detectable on odor alone.

[fruitmentor]

I attended the HLB conference in Riverside in March and went to the talk by Dr. Tim Gottwald on this technology. My understanding from the talk is that they first theorized that the dogs may have been detecting a reaction of the citrus tree to infection by the bacteria. They performed some experiments to try to figure out if the dogs were detecting a reaction from the trees or if the dogs were smelling the bacteria itself. Their experiments led them to conclude that the dogs were smelling the bacteria which is good news.

Here is a good article on the dog detection technology:
https://ucanr.edu/sites/scienceforcitrushealth/Research_Snapshots/Gottwald/

The article mentions that they are using infected trees and also "scent pads" with the scent signature of the bacteria to train the dogs.

[Oolie]

You have my thanks for following up.

[dlhvac]

This fungal treatment for HLB is available in Brazil but not here interesting Koppert announces entomopathogenic fungus to combat greening
Koppert launched its first biological alternative for the Brazilian market for the control of psylli
news.agropages.com