Last October, the Local Board of Plant Health (LBPH) from the Valley of Yaqui undertook the task of fumigating 3,800 hectares of citrus against the HLB disease in order to tackle its spread.
Alejandro Suárez Beltrán, manager of the LBPH, explained that a new case of Yellow Dragon was detected in the State of Sinaloa, which raised concern amongst sanitary authorities as well as orange, lemon, mandarin and grapefruit producers.
Screening campaigns for the detection of the psyllid carrying the disease are thus on the increase in southern Sonora, given that it is already present in some states like Yucatan, Colima and Sinaloa. It has not yet affected the Valley of Yaqui as a result of widespread prevention measures, even though the psyllid has already arrived.
The Huanglongbing (HLB) or Yellow Dragon is a bacterial plant disease which, although not dangerous for humans, destroys the production, appearance and economic value of citrus trees, as well as the fruit's flavour and juice.
It is one of the world's most destructive diseases, and once a tree is infected, there is no cure. Infected trees produce bitter, deformed, inedible fruit and die after some time. HLB has already destroyed citrus plantations in various worldwide regions, including the U.S. states of Florida and Texas.
Source: TRIBUNA