Conference to highlight latest in postharvest pest control

Public release date: 16-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Iqbal Pittalwala iqbal@ucr.edu 951-827-6050 University of California - Riverside

RIVERSIDE, Calif. Recent developments in postharvest disease control will be highlighted at the 35th annual Citrus Postharvest Pest Control conference sponsored by the University of California, Riverside Extension April 23 and 24 in Santa Barbara.

Seminar sessions will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, and 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday, April 24, at the Hyatt Santa Barbara.

This year's conference will include a large segment on food safety as well as an update on research being conducted in Florida regarding the impact of Huanglongbing (HLB) on citrus juice quality.

"It's important for California producers to see how HLB impacts juice quality and what impacts we can expect on our fresh fruit industry if HLB begins to affect commercial citrus groves in California," said conference coordinator Mary Lu Arpaia, Cooperative Extension Subtropical Horticulturalist and a professor in UC Riverside's Department of Botany and Plant Sciences.

HLB is the biggest threat to California's citrus industry. The disease is lethal and currently there is no cure once the tree becomes infected, Arpaia said.

The two-day conference is designed for researchers, industry professionals and service company representatives and also features lectures on domestic and international pesticide legislation and regulation, new fungicide resistance, growth regulators and new concepts of fruit packing.

Fee is $399 (waived for reporters covering the conference) and includes continental breakfast both days, lunch and reception on Tuesday, parking fees and materials.

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Conference to highlight latest in postharvest pest control