The National Animal Health and Agri-food Quality Service (Senasa) prohibited the production, planting, marketing and transport of Murraya paniculata throughout the country as a preventive measure against Huanglongbing (HLB) – ex-greening -.

This measure conforms to Resolution No. 447/09 of the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food and is within the framework of the preventive measures implemented by the National Programme for HLB Prevention to maintain the country free of the disease.

HLB is considered the most destructive citrus plant disease because of the severity of the symptoms, its rapid spread and because it affects all commercial varieties of citrus plants.

The causal agent is a bacteria, Candidatus Liberibacter spp., which is transmitted by a vector insect - Diaphorina citri –, commonly known as Asian citrus psyllid, that is present in the NEA and NOA regions. Myrtle is one of the main hosts of the vector insect and for this reason the above mentioned Resolution prohibits its production, planting, marketing and transport.

HLB has severely affected citrus production in different countries of Asia, Africa, India and the Arab peninsula. In the Americas, it was found in Brazil in 2004, in the United States in 2005, in Cuba in 2006, in the Dominican Republic in 2008, and this year in Belize and Mexico. Argentina is currently free of this pest.