Sweet orange scab detected in Mississippi

Earlier this year an APHIS diagnostics lab received eight sets of Citrus spp. fruit collected in residential areas in Pearl River, Hancock, and Harrison counties, Mississippi. These samples were confirmed by sequencing to be positive for the fungal pathogen, Elsinoë australis, causal agent of sweet orange scab (SOS). 

Federal Emergency Action Notifications have been issued to the property owners requiring that fruit, leaves, branches and other plant parts remain on the property. APHIS is coordinating with the Mississippi Department of Agriculture to determine the source and the extent of the infestation. 

On July 23, 2010, APHIS confirmed the identification of SOS on residential lemon and tangerine trees in Harris County, Texas. This was the first confirmation of SOS in the United States. Currently, 11 counties in Texas have been confirmed with SOS. On Aug. 20, 2010, APHIS also confirmed the presence of SOS in Orleans Parish, Louisiana. The detection was located on a single residential lime tree. Subsequent detection survey activities have resulted in 14 additional parishes confirmed positive for the fungal pathogen. 

APHIS and cooperators are in the process of finalizing the regulatory framework to facilitate safe movement of regulated articles from quarantine areas.