Pledge an Act of Green: Monitor for Citrus Diseases

Florida is known for its sunshine and citrus, but those involved with the citrus industry know the dangers associated with growing the fruit due to the introduction of citrus pests and diseases. Abandoned citrus groves, the unregulated movement of citrus fruit and plant parts and the state’s vulnerability to exotic pests as a hub for tourism all contribute to the problems that result from citrus pests and diseases.

Citrus canker, citrus greening, citrus black spot and the Asian citrus psyllid all currently affect the Florida citrus industry. Even if you do not commercially grow citrus, you can help stop the spread of these pests and diseases by raising your awareness and monitoring for them. You can check out our Citrus Health Response website for all kinds of information on citrus health in Florida, and even use our interactive citrus disease identification tool.

With Earth Day coming up this Friday, you can take part in the Pledge and Act of Green movement by pledging to monitor for citrus pests and diseases in your yard. If you suspect you have a citrus disease, call DPI’s toll-free helpline at 888-397-1517. For more information about Earth Day, visit http://www.earthday.org.

We’re putting a spin on citrus disease identification.

With a variety of pests and diseases affecting citrus fruits, it can be difficult for homeowners to distinguish the source of symptoms affecting their fruit. DPI is a collaborative partner with the Citrus Health Response Program, and therefore assists the program in regulating and protecting the citrus industry from harmful pests and diseases. DPI launched an interactive citrus disease identification tool that allows the user to view diseased or infested citrus fruit with a 360-degree rotation. When the user clicks “play,” the fruit starts to rotate to show a full view of the fruit for easier identification.

Check out the Citrus Disease Identification Tool.

Several resources for citrus disease identification and citrus industry updates are available on the CHRP website:
Citrus Canker
Citrus Greening
Citrus Black Spot
Also, you can view our blog post on shipping citrus.

For more information, you can reach the CHRP Helpline toll-free at 1-800-282-5153.

“It’s beginning to look a lot like…” citrus season.

When the more northern regions of the United States turn white with a blanket of snow, Florida turns orange from winter citrus production. During the 2007-2008 season, Florida accounted for 70 percent of the nation’s citrus production. This is an impressive accomplishment considering Florida’s experience with citrus diseases such as canker, greening and black spot. In order to keep Florida at the top of the nation’s citrus production, DPI works to keep citrus and citrus producers safe from diseases.

Many Floridians ship citrus fruits to their friends and family from their backyards or local groves during the holidays. Because Florida is battling citrus diseases, the USDA and FDACS/DPI are regulating the movement of citrus within and outside of the state.

USDA Certificate for Citrus Fruit Shipment

In order to ship backyard citrus fruit out of state, homeowners should take their fruit to a commercial packinghouse certified by the USDA to decontaminate their fruit. All citrus fruit crossing the state line (in plane, train, car, by mail, etc.) must be accompanied by a USDA certificate. Fruit can be shipped freely within the state of Florida.

It is important to note that citrus fruit purchased from grocery stores still has to go through the same decontamination process as backyard citrus fruit, which means it still must be accompanied by a USDA certificate in order to leave the state. If you are interested in buying gift fruit from a business to send, make sure your fruit will be shipped with the USDA certificate from the business.

Also, please note that no citrus trees or citrus plant parts (excluding fruit) can be moved across state lines by mail or any mode of transportation.

There are six commercial packinghouses certified by the USDA to decontaminate homegrown fruit. Their contact information is below. If you have any questions, please contact our Citrus Helpline at 888-397-1517, or e-mail us at dpi-blog@doacs.state.fl.us.

A.W. Crisafulli Groves (Brevard)
5515 N Courtenay Parkway
Merritt Island, FL  32953-7223
321-452-8100, 800-683-6700
Details: Minimum of ½ bushel (4 gallons)

 May Groves (N. Brevard)
1885 US Hwy 1 North
Titusville, FL  32796
321-745-8575
Contact: Barry Gainer 

Neukom Groves, Inc. (Pasco)
5409 Gall Blvd,
Zephyrhills, FL  33542-3929
813-782-5596
Fax 813-788-2048 

Poinsettia Groves (Indian River)
1481 US Hwy 1
Vero Beach, FL  32960
772-562-3356
Contact: Jeb Hudson 

The Mail Center (N. Brevard)
3206 S Hopkins Ave
Titusville, FL  32780
321-268-2255 

The Orange Shop (Marion)
PO Box 125
Citra, FL  32113-0125
800-672-6439
info@floridaorangeshop.com