A field day focused on the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and Huanglongbing (HLB) will take place at the Lindcove Research and Extension Center in Exeter, California, on March 5, 2026. The event is aimed at citrus pest control advisors and growers who want to learn about the current situation of ACP and HLB in California.
Attendees will hear from experts including grower liaisons and regulators about regulations, mitigation measures, and ongoing research efforts. The agenda features presentations by specialists from organizations such as UC Riverside, the Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Division of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Alliance of Pest Control Districts, and UCCE Statewide IPM Operations.
The program begins with Ashraf El-Kereamy, Cooperative Extension Specialist in Horticulture at UC Riverside and LREC Director, discussing “Current status of ACP and HLB in California and updates from HLB mitigation research.” This will be followed by regulatory updates from Lea Pereira and Fabian Velasco of CDFA’s Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Division.
Judy Zaninovich, Grower Liaison for Kern County and Central Valley Pest Control District, will provide detection updates. Bo Cass from UC Riverside will present on integrated pest management approaches for ACP. Spencer Walse from USDA ARS will discuss postharvest bulk citrus fumigation options.
The afternoon sessions include Saurabh Gautam from Alliance of Pest Control Districts with trapping research updates; Sandipa Gautam from UCCE Statewide IPM Operations covering novel research tools; followed by hands-on training led by both Sandipa Gautam and Saurabh Gautam on identifying ACP life stages using sticky trap cards as well as monitoring techniques.
Registration for the event costs $20. Continuing education credits are pending approval: 0.5 hours laws and 3 hours other.
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR), which organizes this event through its Lindcove REC facility, enhances lives statewide by sharing science-based practices (official website). The organization maintains nine Research and Extension Centers across diverse ecosystems (official website) as living laboratories to support agricultural communities. UC ANR operates offices in all 58 California counties along with these centers (official website).
UC ANR is affiliated with the University of California (official website) and applies university expertise to support communities through research initiatives (official website). For more than a century it has provided resources in nutrition, food networks, youth education, farming innovation, environmental conservation, wildfire protection, maintaining local offices throughout California (official website). Glenda Humiston serves as vice president of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (official website).