Effective Aug. 14, the CDFA is expanding the citrus yellow vein clearing virus (CYVCV quarantine) in the Lodi area of San Joaquin County (grids 180 and 191). A map of the expanded boundary can be found at https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/citrus/pests_diseases/cyvcv/regulation.html. Regulated articles and conditions for intrastate movement under the quarantine can be found at Title 3 of the California Code of Regulations (CCR) section 3447. …

The Santa Cruz County Agricultural Commissioner (CAC) is initiating a $175,000 pilot project funded by the California DPR to use steam as an alternative to pre-plant fumigation, advancing work to foster the availability and adoption of sustainable pest management in California. The pilot project, led by CAC David Sanford, resulted from conversations with community groups interested in exploring fumigant alternatives …

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) announced that all manufacturers of pesticide products containing the active ingredient paraquat-dichloride (paraquat) have voluntarily cancelled their product registrations, beginning the phase-out of the use of paraquat in California. “For years, communities have fought to end the use of paraquat, a weedkiller associated with negative impacts to human health and wildlife,” said California …

Recent studies conducted by scientists at UCCE and CSU Bakersfield demonstrate that a common disease prevalent in vineyards and orchards may impact long-term orchard longevity of almonds in the southern San Joaquin Valley.  Almond orchards with a high incidence of crown gall, a disease caused by a ubiquitous soilborne pathogen, exhibit high rates of tree failure caused by a newly …

Blue Diamond Growers release its monthly crop progress report, noting that harvesting conditions began earlier this year due to the impact of the weather. Warm summer temperatures dominated the conditions in California’s Central Valley during much of July, with a significant heat wave developing during the final week of the period. Daily maximum temperatures ranged predominately between the mid- and …

Oversupply of grapes, plummeting consumer demand and skyrocketing production costs have led the wine industry to a crisis point. “We have an economic downturn in the wine-grape market, and it is considerably worse or more intense compared to the historical ones within the memory of professionals active in viticulture right now,” said Christopher Chen, University of California Cooperative Extension viticulture …

ARS researchers have found a new virus playing hide and seek with the melon industry. In 2023, unusual symptoms of infection were observed in melon and watermelon plants from Arizona and California. ARS scientists in Salinas sampled infected plants and used gene sequencing technology to identify the culprit as watermelon chlorotic stunt virus (WmCSV). This virus is transmitted by whiteflies …

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is offering an updated free Continuing Education (CE) course designed specifically for Pest Control Advisers (PCAs) and other industry professionals focused on invasive pest management. Titled Invasive Fruit Flies in California, this was a popular CE course last year. It has been updated for 2026 and provides an in-depth look at the …

Effective July 29, the Department is expanding the HLB quarantine boundary in the Fallbrook and Rainbow areas of San Diego County and into Riverside County (grids 499 and 500). A map of the expanded boundary can be found at https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/citrus/pests_diseases/hlb/regulation.html. Also effective July 29, the Department is expanding the Asian Citrus Psyllid Bulk Citrus Regional Quarantine Zone 6 in the both areas …