San Diego, California – The California Department of Food and Agriculture has issued a new quarantine in northern San Diego County and part of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton after inspectors confirmed a citrus tree infected with Huanglongbing, a bacterial disease that is lethal to citrus.
The infected tree was discovered during routine inspections in a residential neighborhood in San Clemente, just over the county line in Orange County. The find triggered San Diego’s first multi-jurisdictional quarantine, stretching from southern Orange County through the San Onofre and Agra areas and into the northwest part of Camp Pendleton. Similar quarantines were already in place in Fallbrook, Oceanside, Rancho Bernardo and Valley Center.
The disease, also known as citrus greening or HLB, is spread by a tiny insect called the Asian citrus psyllid. When the insect feeds on trees, it can transmit bacteria that cause mottled yellow leaves, asymmetrical and bitter fruit, and ultimately death within a few years. While harmless to people and animals, HLB is catastrophic for citrus, threatening both backyard trees and the county’s $144 million annual citrus industry…