SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — California agricultural officials have declared a new citrus quarantine in northern San Diego County, extending into part of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, after a deadly citrus tree disease was detected in the region.
Officials with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) announced the quarantine on Monday, Sept. 9, after confirming the presence of Huanglongbing (HLB), commonly known as citrus greening, in a residential citrus tree in the San Clemente and Agra areas during routine inspections.
The disease poses a major threat to San Diego County’s $144 million citrus industry. While not harmful to humans or animals, HLB is fatal to citrus trees—causing misshapen, bitter fruit and eventually killing the tree.
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HLB is spread by a tiny insect called the Asian citrus psyllid. When infected psyllids feed on citrus trees, they can transmit the bacterium that causes the disease…