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Citrus Canker

Citrus with lesions on leaves, stems, and fruit.

Citrus canker is a citrus disease caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (synonym X. axonopodis pv. citri). While not harmful to humans, canker significantly affects the vitality of citrus trees, causing leaves and fruit to drop prematurely. A fruit infected with canker is safe to eat, but has reduced marketability as fresh fruit.

The bacteria that cause citrus canker enter leaves through stomata, or through wounds caused by weather damage or insects, such as the citrus leaf miner (Phyllocnistis citrella). Young leaves are the most susceptible. Symptoms generally appear within 14 days of exposure to the canker bacteria. The bacteria remain viable in old lesions and on plant surfaces for several months.Canker lesions ooze bacterial cells, which can be dispersed by wind and rain. Infection may spread further by heavy rain and wind events such as hurricanes. People can move the disease by moving contaminated equipment and tools, tree clippings, untreated infected fruit, and infected plants. The disease thrives in areas with high rainfall and high temperatures. Citrus species, such as grapefruit, lime and lemon, are most susceptible to citrus canker.

Program Information

Citrus canker was first identified in the United States near the Florida-Georgia border in 1910. From 1910 to 1931, 257,745 grove trees and 3,093,110 nursery trees in 26 counties were destroyed. Canker was considered eradicated in 1933. On September 28, 1995, canker was again discovered in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Despite a 10-year monumental effort to eradicate the disease from Florida, a combination of programmatic challenges and a series of unprecedented storms in 2004 and 2005 spread the disease to the point where eradication was no longer possible. Eradication efforts in Florida ended on January 10, 2006, when the Secretary of Agriculture determined eradication was not possible. Efforts in Florida shifted to containing the disease and establishing criteria under which fruit and nursery stock could safely move out of Florida.

Citrus canker was found in Louisiana in 2014 and in Texas in 2016. USDA is working with our state partners to contain the disease in both states.

Citrus Canker Flickr Album

Citrus canker causes lesions on citrus leaves, stems, and fruit. Characteristic lesions are raised and brown, have water-soaked margins, and usually have a yellow halo surrounding the lesion. Older lesions appear corky.

Citrus canker is found throughout Florida and in limited areas of Louisiana and Texas.   

Quarantine Information

APHIS publishes the legal description of current quarantine areas and these can be accessed in the table below.  Users can search by state and pest to determine the quarantine area(s) by state.   

Code of Federal Regulations 301.75

For details on requirements for moving a regulated article, please consult the regulated articles table below. The table is organized by regulated article so users can find the requirements for moving fruit, nursery stock, or other regulated articles.

The citrus nursery stock protocol provides standards and requirements for the interstate movement of citrus nursery stock from areas quarantined for citrus canker, huanglongbing, and/or Asian citrus psyllid. All interstate movement of citrus nursery stock is prohibited unless the conditions in the protocol are met.

The survey protocol for citrus nursery stock describes the rates of inspection, sampling, and testing required by the nursery stock protocol.

Please contact your local Citrus Health Response Program office if you have questions about the protocol.

How to Help Save Our Citrus

Asian Citrus Psyllid

Huanglongbing (HLB) is spread by a tiny insect, the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP, Diaphorina citri). First detected in Florida in 1998, ACP spread to Texas in 2001, California in 2008, and Arizona in 2009. ACP is now present in all citrus growing regions of the United States.

ACP reproduce on newly developing leaves, and while the insect itself causes little direct feeding damage, the insect can carry the bacteria that causes huanglongbing (Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, CLas). ACP can transmit HLB to uninfected citrus trees as it feeds.


Citrus Black Spot

Citrus black spot (CBS), which is caused by the fungal pathogen Phyllosticta citricarpa (previously known as Guignardia citricarpa) was first found in south Florida, near Immokalee, in March 2010. CBS symptoms on fruit include hard spot, cracked spot, false melanose, freckle spot or early virulent spot, and virulent spot. Symptoms of CBS are easiest to observe during color break, when fruit turns from green to ripe coloration. When trees are severely infected, CBS can cause premature fruit drop before harvest, resulting in significant yield loss.

CBS is spread when wind-borne spores embed in the leaf litter under trees and are carried long distances by air currents. Rain splash may move spores short distances from infected fruit and/or leaf litter. Human-assisted movement of fruit and infected nursery stock is the main form of long distance movement.


Citrus Canker

Citrus canker is a disease caused by the bacterium, Xanthomonas citri subspecies citri. Infection causes lesions on the leaves, stems, and fruit of citrus trees. Typical lesions of the disease are raised, tan to brown in color, and have a water-soaked margin and yellow halos. The bacteria propagate in the lesions, which ooze bacterial cells that are dispersed by windblown rain, contaminated equipment, and movement of infected plants.

While not harmful to humans, uncontrolled canker infection can significantly affect tree health, causing leaves and fruit to drop prematurely. A fruit infected with canker is safe to eat, but its appearance can decrease its marketability.

Canker originated in southeast Asia. Citrus canker was first detected in the United States in 1910 and was eradicated in 1933. It was discovered again in 1995 in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Despite an aggressive tree removal program, USDA was not able to eliminate canker in Florida a second time and ended eradication efforts in 2006.  Canker is present in Florida, Louisiana, and parts of Texas.


Citrus Greening

Huanglongbing (HLB, also known as citrus greening) is the most serious citrus disease in the world and is caused by the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus. There is no cure for this disease once a tree is infected. While the disease poses no threat to humans or animals, it has devastated millions of acres of citrus production around the world, including in the United States.

HLB has been known in Asia since 1900, and Africa since 1920. The first detection of HLB in the Americans was in Brazil in 2004. The first detection of HLB in the United States was in Florida in 2005. HLB has been detected in all the major citrus growing states in the United States, except Arizona.

Once a tree is infected with the bacteria, the tree can remain without detectable symptoms for months or years. During this symptomless phase, the tree can serve as a source of bacteria to infect other trees. Over time, an infected tree will start producing fewer fruit that are smaller, shaped irregulary, and taste bitter. Affected trees have leaves with blotchy mottling, stunted growth, root die-back, and are prone to dropping fruit before it is ripe. Trees infected with HLB will eventually succumb to the disease.


Sweet Orange Scab

Sweet orange scab (SOS) is a disease caused by the fungus Elsinöe australis, which results in scab-like lesions primarily on fruit. The fruit are safe to eat, but the blemishes result in reduced marketability in the fresh fruit market. SOS can cause premature fruit drop and stunt young nursery trees and new field plantings.

SOS was first detected in the United States in 2010 in Texas. SOS is now confirmed in Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, Texas, Arizona, and parts of California.

Moving citrus trees is the fastest way that citrus diseases are spread. When you move citrus trees, you risk losing America’s citrus.

You Can Help Prevent Citrus Disease

Citrus Story Map

If you think you have identified an infected plant, report it immediately. To avoid spreading the disease, do not move your plant. Complete the "Report It" form below or call your local  USDA State Plant Health Director’s office.

Report It Form (English) 
 Report It Form (Espanol) 


If you are younger than 18 years of age, please ask a parent, guardian or trusted adult to help you complete the form. 

Thank you for helping stop the spread of citrus disease!

Salve los Cítricos: Ayude a eliminar las enfermedades de los cítricos



Save Our Citrus: Put the Squeeze on Citrus Disease

Arizona


California


Florida


Louisiana


Texas


Nursery
Citrus nursery: Citrus nursery stock protocol provides standards and requirements for the interstate movement of citrus nursery stock from areas quarantined for citrus canker, huanglongbing, and/or Asian citrus psyllid. All interstate movement of citrus nursery stock is prohibited unless the conditions in the protocol are met. Protocols include monthly structural inspections, treatment logs and sampling. 

Citrus Disease
Citrus Black Spot: Citrus black spot is a citrus disease caused by a fungus, which affects citrus plants throughout subtropical climates, reducing both fruit quantity and quality. Symptoms can be found on fruit and leaves, but are easiest to identify on mature fruit. Fruit are susceptible to infection for six months following fruit set. Leaves typically do not show symptoms, but foliar lesions can be observed on highly susceptible varieties, such as lemon, or on stressed trees. On lemon, fruit pedicels may also show symptoms. All citrus varieties are susceptible to citrus black spot, making strict regulation and management necessary to prevent spread of this disease.

Citrus Canker: Citrus canker is a citrus disease caused by a bacteria. While not harmful to humans, canker significantly affects the vitality of citrus trees, causing leaves and fruit to drop prematurely. Citrus canker causes lesions on citrus leaves, stems, and fruit. Characteristic lesions are raised and brown, have water-soaked margins, and usually have a yellow halo surrounding the lesion. Older lesions appear corky. Symptoms generally appear within 14 days of exposure to the canker bacteria. The bacteria remain viable in old lesions and on plant surfaces for several months. A fruit infected with canker is safe to eat but has reduced marketability as fresh fruit.

Citrus Greening: Huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening is the most serious citrus disease. It is caused by a bacteria which is spread by the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), a tiny insect that transmits the bacteria to the tree when feeding. ACP transmits the bacteria to the tree when feeding on new shoots. There is no cure for this disease and all commercial varieties of citrus are susceptible to HLB. Symptoms of HLB-infected trees include blotchy mottle leaves, stunted growth, reduced fruit size, premature fruit drop, corky veins, and root decline. It is difficult to identify HLB-infected trees because they may remain asymptomatic for months to years after infection. HLB eventually kills the tree.

Sweet Orange Scab: Sweet orange scab is a disease caused by a fungus, which results in scab-like lesions primary on fruit and less frequently on leaves and twigs. The initial symptoms of sweet orange scab form on very young fruit as lesions that are slightly raised and pink to light brown. As the lesion expands, it becomes cracked or warty. The lesion color changes to yellowish brown and eventually to dark gray. Sweet orange scab can cause premature fruit drop and stunt young nursery trees and new field plantings, but has little impact on fruit quality. While there is no danger to humans, the blemished fruit has reduced marketability. Sweet orange and tangerine are common hosts, however all Citrus species are vulnerable.

Citrus Pest
Asian Citrus Psyllid: Asian citrus psyllid is a tiny insect that feeds on citrus. While the insect causes little damage, it can carry a bacterium that causes the disease huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening. HLB is the most serious threat to U.S. citrus. Asian citrus psyllid is now present in all citrus growing regions of the United States.

Bicontrol
Citrus Biocontrol: USDA and our State partners currently release Tamarixia in Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas to protect America’s citrus crops. These measures are used to control the population citrus pests such as the Asian citrus psyllid.

Operations 
Citrus Operations: Citrus operations include biocontrol, regulatory activities in nurseries for interstate movement, multi-pest surveys for pest detection and delimiting surveys to control pest propagation. Other regulatory activities include packinghouse protocols for decontamination and treatment.

Sampling
Citrus Sampling: APHIS conducts multiple surveys and collects citrus samples to identify any new pest or disease incursions or find signs of citrus pathogens and disease already known to exist in the United States. Samples are taken from both dooryard and nursery sources during these surveys. 

Multi-Agency Response

Huanglongbing Multi-Agency Coordination (MAC)

Contact Us

State Citrus Contacts
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