Citrus Canker
United States Department of FACTSHEET Agriculture •••••••••••••••••••••••• Animal and Plant Health Inspection Plant Protection Service & Quarantine July 1997 APHISHistory Citrus Canker Citrus canker most likely originated in southeastern Asia and spread to Japan, South Africa, Australia, the Pacific Islands, South America, and the Of all of the agricultural pests and diseases that United States. In 1910, citrus canker was reported threaten citrus crops, citrus canker may be one of the for the first time in the United States, in the Gulf most devastating. Coast States. Before citrus canker was declared Citrus canker is a highly contagious disease eradicated here in 1933, more than $6 million was caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas axonopodis spent in Florida alone to destroy about 258,000 grove pathovar citri. An infestation can destroy entire trees and 3 million nursery trees. Removal and crops, but the disease poses no health risk to burning of infected trees was (and remains) the only humans or animals. effective means of control. In the Gulf Coast States, Severe infection may produce a variety of from Florida to Texas, nearly 20 million trees in effects, including defoliation, dieback, severely nurseries and groves had been destroyed by 1934 blemished fruit, reduced fruit quality, and premature because they had been infected or exposed to citrus fruit drop. canker. As late as 1949, surveys and inspections were being conducted in the Gulf region on scattered, Appearance and Strains noncommercial trees, abandoned groves, and wild Citrus canker symptoms appear on the fruit, trees (primarily trifoliate orange seedlings). leaves, and twigs of infected plants, and typically Between 1986 and 1992, citrus canker was consist of small, round, blisterlike formations called found at 13 locations in 4 Florida counties.
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