Huanglongbing disease of citrus (also called citrus greening or yellow dragon disease) is a bacterial disease that affects all above ground parts of the plant: leaves, branches and fruits

Huanglongbing or Citrus Greening disease has had negative economic implications for Trinidad and Tobago since its positive identification in May of this year. These were the words of Senator Avinash Singh, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, as he shared the sentiments of citrus farmers with whom he had had recent discussions on the disease – caused by the bacterium, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus – which has destroyed more than 100 million trees globally and has spread to several continents (Asia, Africa and the Indian subcontinent) including the Americas. (more…)

On Monday 11th September, 2017, the Ministry of Agriculture, working in concert with the Office of the Prime Minister and the Tobago House of Assembly, initiated a Public Awareness Citrus Huanglongbing (HLB) Campaign in Tobago. The campaign will include surveillance operations to determine levels of HLB pathogenicity in the island. Training in new nursery management protocols and best management practices for citrus greening will also be factored into this exercise. (more…)