The insect known to carry citrus greening disease, also known as Huanglongbing (HLB) has been found in the northeastern Argentine province of Misiones. 

In a release, the country's National Food Health and Quality Service (Senasa) reported the Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP), known scientifically as diaphorina citri, had been found in the departments of Iguazú and Eldorado with three cases in commercial farms and four in urban backyards.

In response, Senasa undertook a process to eradicate HLB-positive plants as part of its contingency plan, highlighting it would continue its intensive surveillance program.

It must be clarified that the region seeking access to the U.S. citrus market, Northwestern Argentina, is almost 700 miles away from where the detections took place.

Speaking with www.freshfruitportal.com, Federcitrus president José Carbonell clarified there was only one positive HLB case in the latest announcement, pertaining to a backyard plant.

He said while HLB was the citrus industry's biggest threat, Argentina still had the good fortune of being HLB-free on its commercial farms thanks to the strict approach from government and industry to prevent incursions of the ACP.

He added traps were very important in mitigating citrus greening risk.

"We have all our citrus industry with traps, which serve to detect the diaphorina. Luckily since 2013 (when the first case was detected) we've had a clear reduction in the vector," Carbonell said.

www.freshfruitportal.com