Map changes legislation to control and prevent greening, focusing on poorly managed areas

Ordinance No. 317 of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa), published on May 25, 2021 and which came into force on June 1, 2021, establishes the National HLB Prevention and Control Program, with new guidelines for disease control.

The ordinance brings important changes in relation to Normative Instruction No. 53 of Mapa, of October 16, 2008, considering, especially, the heterogeneous presence of greening in the country and the increased incidence of the disease in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Paraná and Mato Grosso do Sul.

Greening prevention and control measures are aimed at all public or private properties that have plants that host the pest (citrus and myrtle), for commercial or non-commercial purposes, located in rural or urban areas.

Some of the main criteria to be followed are:

- All commercial citrus properties must undergo georeferenced registration;

- The State Plant Health Defense Bodies (OEDSV) will carry out annual surveys on these properties;

- The OEDSVs will prepare a mandatory Contingency Plan, which will include phytosanitary surveillance, monitoring of the psyllid in areas at risk of introducing the disease, control of the transit of plant propagation material from plants that host the bacteria, emergency control measures, among other actions, which must be adopted immediately after greening is detected.

- The existence of commercial citrus production properties without greening management will not be permitted – that is, those in which measures to control the disease and the psyllid are not applied;

- On all properties where there are host plants, the producer must monitor and control the psyllid;

- The elimination of plants with symptoms of greening remains mandatory for citrus orchards until the eighth year. After that, it becomes optional, as long as efficient control of the psyllid in the orchard is carried out – whose criteria and inspection will be determined by the OEDSV;

- When symptomatic plants are identified in properties with non-commercial citrus production or in backyard conditions, the OEDSV will notify the producer to arrange for the elimination of these plants;

- The obligation to present two annual reports communicating the results of inspections for the immediately previous semester remains, the first by July 15th and the second by January 15th.

To check the complete ordinance, access the link: https://www.in.gov.br/en/web/dou/-/portaria-n-317-de-21-de-maio-de-2021-321773783.

Recommendations for management

The Fundecitrus recommends that producers carry out at least four greening inspections per year, especially from February to September, eliminating symptomatic plants. Furthermore, it is important to maintain strict control of the psyllid – especially during budding periods, with applications every 7 or 10 days.

If the producer chooses not to eliminate diseased plants after the eighth year of planting, it is recommended that applications be made at least every two weeks, to prevent the psyllid from acquiring the bacteria and reproducing in the diseased plants, passing contaminating other plants inside and outside the orchard.

In addition to managing greening within the property, it is important that the producer participates in regional control of the psyllid (Phytosanitary Alert) and in external actions to control the disease.

Online workshop - Prevention and control of greening in Brazil

On June 8th, at 9 am, an online workshop on Suasa - Mapa's YouTube channel will bring more information about the new legislation and also about the prevention and management of greening, with the participation of Fundecitrus.

To follow, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cm11kMez21M.