Customs And Border Protection In Philly Intercepts Destructive Citrus Black Spot Disease
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed that black lesions U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) intercepted on an orange at Philadelphia International Airport was the highly destructive Citrus Black Spot disease.
According to the USDA, Citrus Black Spot is caused by the fungus Guignardia citricarpa Kiely, and is an economically significant exotic citrus disease that occurs in subtropical regions of the world. The fungus causes lesions that make the fruit unsuitable for the fresh fruit market and can cause extensive premature fruit drop that reduces yields of fruit for processing.
A CBP agriculture specialist discovered five black lesions on an orange that a man brought with him on a flight from Doha, Qatar on July 16th. CBP submitted specimens of the black lesions to a local USDA plant pathologist, and on August 28, the USDA identified the lesions as the fungus that causes Citrus Black Spot.
The local USDA identifier initially suspected this to be a first Citrus Black Spot interception in Philadelphia; however, a more extensive review Monday of USDA's national plant disease database reported a handful of interceptions prior to the 2003 creation of CBP.
"Citrus Black Spot is a significant interception for Customs and Border Protection as the disease is a top tier plant disease threat for U.S. crop industries," said Susan Stranieri, CBP Port Director for the Area Port of Philadelphia. "Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists take their mission to protect America's agriculture very seriously."
Citrus Black Spot is present in parts of Florida, where 70% of our nation's oranges are produced. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services reports first detecting Citrus Black Spot in Valencia sweet oranges near Immokalee, Fla., on March 8, 2010. This marks the first report of this fungal pathogen in North America, and constitutes a major jump in the geographical range of the pathogen.
