Good news for Georgia citrus growers! My citrus pathology extension program was awarded a grant from the 2019 USDA/AMS Specialty Crop Block Grant Program to conduct a “Statewide survey of citrus greening caused by Candidatus liberibacter asiaticus” in 2020 and 2021. This means that each year, UGA Cooperative Extension Personnel can now accept a limited number of citrus samples for citrus greening testing free of charge (this usually costs $40 per sample). If you are a commercial citrus grower or if you have residential/backyard trees that may be suspect for this disease, please contact your local UGA Cooperative Extension office for further details regarding where, when, and how samples should be submitted to qualify for free testing. Samples must be submitted through a UGA Cooperative Extension Office. Both residential and commercial citrus samples (up to 25 samples per county per calendar year) will be accepted.

In 2020, samples will be accepted in early spring (March 1st – April 15th) and late fall (October 1st – November 15th). Sample testing will be carried out by the UGA Plant Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory in Tifton, GA.

Additional guidelines and submission instructions can be found here.