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Asian Citrus Psyllid Nears California Growing Center
from the Los Angeles Times (Registration Required)
A tiny insect that threatens California's $1.6-billion citrus industry has been found near one of the state's commercial citrus growing regions.
The Asian citrus psyllid, which has ravaged orchards in Florida as well as overseas, was found in Valley Center in rural San Diego County, the closest the bug has come to a major concentration of citrus groves.
Northern San Diego County has about 2,500 acres of commercial citrus trees and is home to the largest concentration of organic citrus farmers in the nation, which will complicate efforts to control the insect, said Ted Batkin, president of the Citrus Research Board. "The Valley Center trapping is not a surprise, but it is a real concern. This is very close to several thousand acres of citrus groves," Batkin said.
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