- The USDA has designated August 2010 as "Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month". Read more about what this entails HERE.
- Elsinoe australis: Sweet Orange Scab of Citrus, previously only reported in South America has been found on a satsuma tree in Orange, Texas and has also been discovered in Louisiana. HERE & HERE. SPRO letter HERE.
- Ceratitis capitata: Removal of federal fruit fly quarantine in Fallbrook area of San Diego County, California HERE & also in Escondido area of San Deigo c\County HERE.
- Emerald Ash Borer Domestic quarantine of Allamakee County, Iowa; Bedford County, Pennsylvania; & Clarke & Federick Counties & the City of Winchester, Virginia HERE.
- APHIS has revoked a Federal Order that established a Gladiolus Rust quarantine area for an affected commercial gladiolus farm in Hendry County, Florida HERE.
- Lobesia botrana: Portions of San Joaquin County, California added to the European Grapevine Moth quarantine HERE.
- Bactrocera dorsalis: Confirmed detection of Oriental Fruit Fly population in Pasadena/San Marino area of Los Angeles County, California HERE.
- Ascochyta Blight is appearing throughout the pulse crop growing regions in the US HERE.
- Have you completed First Detector training? Report your success stories HERE
- Webinar 8/24/10: "Bleeding Canker of Horsechestnut" - more information HERE.
- Soybean Rust Short Course 8/26-27 NFREC, Qunicy, FL. Details HERE.
The mission of the network is to enhance national agricultural security by quickly detecting introduced pests and pathogens. This is achieved through a functional nationwide network of public agricultural institutions with a cohesive, distributed system to quickly detect high consequence, biological pests and pathogens into our agricultural and natural ecosystems, by providing means for quick identifications and establishing protocols for immediate reporting to appropriate responders and decision makers.
Our goal is to (i) support a secure regional network for the detection and diagnosis of plant health problems, (ii) extend and support sound public policies, implement rapid and accurate diagnoses, and response strategies, and (iii) provide leadership and training.
SPDN Director: Jeffrey B. Jones, Chair, Dept. of Plant Pathology, UF