Citrus Greening
as a Pest Information Platform for Education and Extension |
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| The citrus greening disease (CG) results
in a chronic decline of citrus. Pathogens that cause CG are phloem-limited
bacteria in the genus Liberobacter. All Citrus and
relatives are potential hosts of the bacteria and may be susceptible
to the disease. CG is primarily transmitted among citrus trees by
the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri. The time to expression
of CG symptoms, after infection of Citrus by D. citri
transmission of the pathogen, is unknown; however, it may be
as long as 12 months. D. citri was first detected in Florida during 1998. It has subsequently been identified in the major citrus production regions of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. In August 2005, CG was identified at two locations in Florida - the first reports of CG in the Western Hemisphere. |
 Photograph by Patricia Barkley Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute NSW Agriculture |
 Photograph by: Douglas L. Caldwell University of Florida |
The Animal Pest Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is responsible for detecting and mitigating introductions of exotic pests into U.S. animal and plant production and environmental systems. State specialists are responsible for both assisting in the collection of field observations of invasive pests and for providing guidelines to growers on how to manage these new pests. |
A team of researchers led by Joe Russo (ZedX) and Scott Isard (CEAL) are currently designing and implementing a state-of-the-art Information Technology Platform to assist APHIS personnel and State extension specialists in carrying out their CG and D. citri detection and management responsibilities from national to field levels. |
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