CDFA to Continue Surveying After Heat Wave Passes
Welcome back to our discussion on the Citrus Yellow Vein Clearing Virus. Joining us again, Victoria Hornbaker is director of the California Department of Food and Agriculture Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Division.Hornbaker says the CDFA will continue surveying, however, the current heat wave is stalling those efforts.
“The symptoms of this particular virus are temperature-sensitive. So once you get over 90 degrees, you see the symptoms… and the concentration of the virus in the tree start to fade away. So we’ve stalled our survey until we get at least a week of sub-100 degree temperatures, and we will go back and start surveying again.”
“We’ve done a really good delimitation in the core, in the city of Tulare, once the temperatures go down we are going to start radiating out to really determine the extent of this infestation. Is it really localized in the city of Tulare, or do we have it in other parts of the valley as well?”
Counties that are in the que to be surveyed include Fresno and Kings counties.
CDFA conducts these surveys to gain knowledge on the extent of the infestation and potential impacts of the virus. Because this virus is new to the United States, what’s learned from these surveys and research will be critical in developing an appropriate regulatory response.
Join us next time to dive deeper into the history of the Citrus Yellow Vein Clearing Virus.