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PPQ 2022 Annual Report

Optimizing Pest Management: Specialty Crop Pests

Table of Contents

Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................. 1

Grape Pests ............................................................................................................................................................... 3

European Grapevine Moth (EGVM) ...................................................................................................................... 3

Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter (GWSS) ................................................................................................................... 3

Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) ........................................................................................................................................ 4

Citrus Diseases and Asian Citrus Psyllid................................................................................................................... 5

HLB Multi-Agency Coordination (MAC) Group...................................................................................................... 7

Tree Fruit and Nursery Stock Pests .......................................................................................................................... 8

Exotic Fruit Flies..................................................................................................................................................... 9

Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM)......................................................................................................................... 13

Navel Orangeworm (NOW) ................................................................................................................................. 13

Phytophthora ramorum (P. ramorum) ................................................................................................................ 14

Potatoes.................................................................................................................................................................. 15

Pale Cyst Nematode ............................................................................................................................................ 15

Golden Nematode ............................................................................................................................................... 16

 

Introduction 

The goal of the Specialty Crop Pests (SCP) Program is to protect U.S. fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, 

horticulture, and nursery crops from adverse impacts associated with invasive pests, such as crop 

damage or threats to international trade and interstate commerce. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 
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(USDA) Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program works with State, Tribal, university, and 

industry partners to develop and implement practices, policies, and regulations that prevent or mitigate 

impacts for invasive pests of Federal regulatory significance. These activities include verifying pest 

distribution, identifying and mitigating risk pathways to prevent long distance spread of the pests, 

developing and implementing diagnostic tools and pest mitigation strategies, and communicating with 

the public to gain support for program strategies.

These efforts help U.S. farmers export their products, prevent damage to specialty crop production 

(helping to ensure the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables), and protect natural resources, including 

forests and residential landscapes. The program currently addresses numerous pests and diseases, 

including exotic fruit flies, a variety of citrus pests and diseases, the glassy-winged sharpshooter

(GWSS), spotted lanternfly (SLF), pale cyst nematode, golden nematode, plum pox virus, light brown 

apple moth, European grapevine moth (EGVM), navel orange worm, and Phytopthora ramorum, among 

others.

Overall, the program directly protects specialty crop production worth more than $11 billion in 2021 

(USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service [APHIS] internal analysis based on National 

Agricultural Statistics Survey data). The program indirectly protects additional specialty crop production 

valued at nearly $7 billion in 2021, by preventing the spread of these damaging pests and diseases to 

new areas (based on APHIS analysis using Economic Research Service data). Without the SCP program, 

trading partners might not accept a variety of U.S. fruits and vegetables. The value of trade in specialty 

crops that could potentially be disrupted without the SCP program was $4.3 billion in 2021, according to 

an internal APHIS report using data from the Foreign Agricultural Service’s Global Agricultural Trade 

System.
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Grape Pests

The SCP program targets several devastating pests and diseases, including GWSS, EGVM and SLF, that 

could affect grape production and impact export markets.

European Grapevine Moth (EGVM)

In August 2016, PPQ declared the successful eradication of EGVM from California. In FY 2022, PPQ, 

in collaboration with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and industry partners, 

continued monitoring for EGVM with more than 22,000 traps placed in 37 participating counties. PPQ

and cooperators found no infestations. PPQ is evaluating what level of survey to continue and how to 

expand surveys to incorporate other grape pests.

Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter (GWSS)

PPQ also continued the successful, cooperative GWSS program designed to suppress populations of 

this pest where it is established. GWSS is a vector for Pierce’s disease, which is lethal to grapevines. 

The program’s suppression and regulatory activities work to prevent the spread of the vector and disease 

across California. In FY 2022, the program continued to conduct surveys and other regulatory activities 

including inspections of nursery stock and bulk citrus for the pest in 49 California counties, and 

continued area-wide suppression activities in affected agricultural production areas of 4 California 

counties. With citrus growers’ voluntary suppression treatments, the program covered 27,132 acres. Of 

the more than 27,000 shipments of nursery stock from infested areas, California county inspectors 

rejected three shipments due to GWSS life stages being present. Together, the EGVM and GWSS 

programs directly protected 829,000 acres of grape production worth $5.2 billion in the State of 

California in 2021 (National Agricultural Statistics Survey Noncitrus Fruit and Nuts 2021 Summary).
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Spotted Lanternfly (SLF)

In FY 2021, PPQ and cooperators continued addressing SLF using funding provided through Specialty 

Crop Pests and with $7.5 million in funding available under Plant Protection Act Section 7721. This 

invasive pest is now found in 14 States, including Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, 

Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, 

and West Virginia. Juvenile spotted lanternflies, known as nymphs, and adults prefer to feed on the 

invasive tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) but also feed on a wide range of crops and plants, including 

grapes, apples, hops, walnuts, and hardwood trees. We do not have enough data to determine the 

impacts on agriculture. Thus far, vineyards have been the most adversely affected agricultural 

commodity, mostly due to SLF acting as a stressor to vines. As they feed, the pest leaves behind a 

sticky, sugary residue called honeydew that attracts other insects and promotes sooty mold growth which 

can further damage the plant.

There is a strong correlation between new SLF populations and major transportation pathways, such as 

railroads and interstate corridors. PPQ conducts targeted treatments and, in some areas, removes SLF’s 

preferred host plant, tree of heaven, from transportation hubs with the aim of reducing the risk of SLF 

spread to new areas. PPQ and cooperators also continue to conduct treatments on the leading edge of the 

infestation and to eradicate isolated infestations. In FY 2022, PPQ and cooperators treated 4,802 

properties covering 6,150 acres in affected areas included in the program’s environmental assessment 

(EA).

The program is continuing efforts to complete National Environmental Protection Act documentation in 

the four additional States where SLF has been identified and are not covered under the current EA—
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Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Rhode Island. Once the program completes the supplemental EA 

for these four States requiring immediate treatment, PPQ will begin preparing a programmatic, 

nationwide EA to address all other known and potential SLF treatment areas in the United States. 

The program continues to evaluate new treatment strategies, and in FY 2022, PPQ and cooperators 

identified three potential biological control organisms, one that targets the tree of heaven and two that 

target SLF. PPQ will continue to evaluate them and develop methods to rear them in the laboratory. 

Additionally, PPQ began working with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture 

and the National Plant Board to develop a national strategic plan outlining the future direction of the 

SLF program. With the strategic plan, PPQ aims to harmonize the approach across States to slow SLF’s 

spread, develop consistent outreach messaging for a nationwide audience, and more effectively use 

existing State and Federal resources.

Citrus Diseases and Asian Citrus Psyllid 

Citrus fruits are high-value specialty crops and a nutritious food for consumers around the world. The 

United States was the sixth largest exporter of citrus by value and volume in 2021 (International Trade 

Centre database). PPQ supports the citrus industry’s continued ability to produce, harvest, process, and 

ship citrus fruits and nursery stock despite the presence of diseases such as citrus canker, citrus greening 

or Huanglongbing (HLB), sweet orange scab, and citrus black spot, which decrease fruit quality, 

increase production costs for producers, and threaten export markets in areas when found.

HLB is the most serious disease of citrus currently impacting Florida and Texas, and threatening the 

citrus crop in Arizona, California, and Louisiana. The insect vector, the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), 

spreads the disease. Through the Citrus Health Response Program, PPQ and State partners also conduct 
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surveys for other diseases not known to occur in the United States, including citrus leprosis virus and 

citrus variegated chlorosis.

PPQ and cooperators in citrus-producing States perform multi-pest surveys providing timely information 

about the presence of pests and diseases to growers and State government partners. This information 

allows growers to take necessary actions to manage their groves and allows PPQ and States to update 

quarantine boundaries and regulations to prevent the spread of serious citrus pests and diseases through 

the movement of regulated materials. Based on the results of surveys, the Agency adjusted quarantine 

boundaries during FY 2022 for HLB in California, citrus canker in Alabama and Texas, and citrus black 

spot in Florida.

In areas affected by citrus pests and diseases, PPQ’s flexible regulatory protocols have minimized the 

impact of the quarantines on growers, who can move citrus out of quarantined areas to packinghouses if 

they follow mitigation procedures to prevent the disease or its insect vector from spreading. PPQ works 

with citrus nurseries across the United States to ensure that nursery stock produced in areas quarantined 

for citrus diseases is free from the pests, ensuring that clean plants are moving between the states and 

available for citrus producers and residential use. In FY 2022, approximately 614 businesses had 

compliance agreements with PPQ and moved regulated host materials such as citrus fruit and nursery 

stock under more than 18,800 certificates and limited permits that PPQ issued.

PPQ and cooperators continued extensive surveys that establish citrus black spot-free production units, 

and low prevalence areas for citrus canker in Florida, for export packing to the European Union. PPQ

also supports area-wide management efforts in Texas and California for citrus pests and diseases.
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In FY 2022, PPQ and cooperators continued to conduct risk-based surveys for HLB in residential and 

commercial citrus areas in California to ensure they detect the disease quickly if it is present. 

Additionally, PPQ assists CDFA in aggressively responding to positive detections of HLB (thus far in 

residential areas only) and implementing an area-wide management approach for ACP population 

control. PPQ continued biological control efforts targeting ACP. This program, which employs a 

predatory wasp against ACP, augments other management methods, especially in residential areas in 

Arizona, California, Louisiana, and Texas, where use of chemical pesticides is undesirable. 

Additionally, PPQ and cooperators confirmed the presence of citrus yellow vein clearing virus in Tulare 

County, California; efforts are ongoing to determine the extent of disease spread and develop an 

appropriate regulatory response.

These citrus health activities directly protect citrus production on 668,100 acres in the United States 

worth approximately $2.91 billion for the 2021-2022 growing season (National Agricultural Statistics 

Survey Citrus Fruits 2022 Summary). Without PPQ’s activities, citrus exports could be at risk each year. 

In 2021, the value of U.S. citrus exports totaled approximately $968 million (Foreign Agricultural 

Service Global Agricultural Trade System).

HLB Multi-Agency Coordination (MAC) Group

PPQ established the HLB Multi-Agency Coordination (MAC) response framework in December 2013 to 

help address the citrus industry’s immediate and long-term needs in dealing with this devastating 

disease. In addition to PPQ, the MAC is comprised of representatives from USDA’s Agricultural 

Research Service (ARS), National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and Office of Pest Management 

Policy; the Environmental Protection Agency; State departments of agriculture in Arizona, California, 

Florida, and Texas; citrus research organizations in California, Florida, and Texas; and citrus industry 
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organizations in California, Florida, and Texas. Between FY 2014 and 2019, the HLB MAC group has 

funded a total of 105 projects carried out by State cooperators, universities, private companies, and 

Federal agencies. The projects focused on strategies for vector control, therapies for infected trees, 

sustainability of new plantings, early detection technologies, best management practices for citrus 

groves, and support for the development of HLB-resistant citrus varieties. 

In FY 2019, the HLB MAC shifted focus towards determining the best management practices for 

producing citrus under the threat and pressure of HLB. In FYs 2019 and 2020, PPQ provided HLB 

MAC funds towards the Florida Citrus Research and Field Trials (CRaFT) project to conduct field 

evaluations of strategies that showed previous scientific evidence of success. This long-term project 

brought in growers, as collaborators, to evaluate interactions between methods, treatments, 

environments, rootstock/scion combinations, and growing practices.

In 2021, building on the CRaFT approach in Florida, PPQ initiated similar projects in California and 

Texas. Each State is at a different stage of disease progression, but they share the common goal of robust 

healthy trees and a productive industry. This approach offers an opportunity to evaluate the impact of 

tools available for all challenges that HLB poses in different environmental conditions. The results of 

these projects will benefit all citrus-growing regions in the United States that are threatened by this 

devastating disease. In FY 2022, PPQ provided funding to California and Florida for these ongoing 

projects. Texas continued using funds provided in FY 2021 under a 2-year cooperative agreement.

Tree Fruit and Nursery Stock Pests 
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PPQ works with State and Tribal partners, universities, and industry to develop and carry out programs 

to protect tree fruit and nursery crops from damage and trade disruptions due to invasive pests. Through 

these activities, PPQ directly protects nursery stock production worth approximately $1.3 billion in 

2019, and tree fruit production worth approximately $1.7 billion in 2021 (APHIS internal analysis based 

on National Agricultural Statistics Survey data). By preventing pests and diseases like exotic fruit flies 

and P. ramorum from spreading to new areas, the program indirectly protects approximately $6.8 billion 

in fruit and nursery stock production (APHIS internal analysis based on National Agricultural Statistics 

Survey data).

Exotic Fruit Flies

PPQ takes the threat of exotic fruit fly outbreaks very seriously. These insects are among the most 

destructive, feared, and well-publicized pests of fruits and vegetables around the world. Working with 

State partners, we aim to detect an outbreak early and respond rapidly. Our swift and effective action 

protects crops and the industries that depend on them, as well as valuable foreign export markets.

PPQ protects a wide variety of specialty crops (particularly tree fruit and citrus) through exotic fruit fly 

exclusion and detection activities. One of the Agency’s key strategies is maintaining a barrier against the 

northward movement of Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly). Medfly is one of the most destructive 

agricultural pests in the world, attacking more than 300 cultivated and wild fruits and vegetables.

APHIS, through its cooperator Moscamed, produced an average of one billion sterile Medfly per week 

in FY 2022 to mitigate northward movement from Mexico and Guatemala, and to release in high-risk 

areas of California and Florida on a preventative basis. 
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In FY 2022, the international cooperative program continued addressing Medfly outbreaks that began in 

FY 2019, in the program-designated free areas of Mexico and Guatemala. USDA continued to assist 

collaborators in Mexico by funding the additional production of 200 million sterile Medfly for release in 

Chiapas. Overall, the number of outbreaks decreased from 1,619 in FY 2021 to 804 in FY 2022. PPQ, 

through the cooperator Moscamed, also continued the production and release of sterile Medfly and aerial 

bait spray treatments in the program area of Guatemala. Through these and other efforts, the program 

focuses on effectively managing Medfly in Guatemala and southern Mexico and maintaining 

internationally recognized Medfly-free areas in Peten, Guatemala, and Belize which include 

approximately 147,900 square kilometers combined.

Since 2015, when the first Medfly outbreak occurred in the Caribbean, PPQ has worked with partner 

countries in the region to improve surveillance for Medfly and other exotic fruit flies. In FY 2022, eight

Caribbean countries participated in this effort with active trapping and surveillance programs. The 

number of countries participating was lower than in past years due to issues associated with the 

pandemic, weather-related events, issues with infrastructure, and competing priorities with other pest 

and disease programs, among others. Going forward, PPQ will continue to support surveillance in the 

Caribbean through technical assistance and work with partners to continue to increase participation in 

this early warning network as resources allow.

Domestically, PPQ and State cooperators maintain the cooperative Preventative Release Program, which 

releases sterile fruit flies in high-risk areas to prevent any introduced Medflies or Mexican fruit flies 

(Mexflies) from reproducing and establishing a population in the United States. In the Los Angeles area 

in California, PPQ and cooperators release 120 million sterile Medflies per week, and in 4 port areas in 

Florida, 80 million per week. PPQ and cooperators also maintain a detection network of more than 
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160,000 traps in California, Florida, Puerto Rico, Texas, New York, and other States vulnerable to 

exotic fruit fly incursions.

When outbreaks occur, PPQ and cooperators implement immediate emergency response activities to 

eradicate them. PPQ and CDFA completed eradication for two exotic fruit fly outbreaks in June 2022 

and detected three new outbreaks in summer 2022, including an Oriental fruit fly (OFF) outbreak in Los 

Angeles County, an OFF outbreak in Orange County, and a Mexfly outbreak in San Diego County. The 

Los Angeles and Orange County outbreaks are in residential areas and do not impact agriculture. PPQ

and CDFA completed eradication for the Los Angeles County OFF quarantine at the end of September. 

PPQ established an incident management team for the Mexfly outbreak, which covers more than 4,000 

acres of agricultural production. The program’s regulations allow growers who implement required 

protocols to ship their products out of the quarantined area. PPQ is releasing approximately 11 million 

sterile Mexflies per week in the area along with implementing trapping and regulatory protocols. PPQ

expects to complete the remaining two responses in summer 2023.

In FY 2022, the program continued response activities for a Mexfly outbreak in the Lower Rio Grande 

Valley, the home of the Texas citrus industry, which experiences frequent incursions of the pest. During 

FY 2022, the program enhanced sterile fly release activities and worked with growers to identify 

additional measures to help contain the outbreak. Growers removed unmanaged groves, eliminating 

reservoirs of Mexfly host material. With the sterile fly program enhancements and grower cooperation, 

the program was able to reduce the size of the quarantine from 1,172 square miles at its largest point to 

191 square miles at the end of the fiscal year. The commercial citrus acreage under quarantine was 

reduced from more than 9,000 acres to approximately 850 acres. The program expects to complete the 

response in November 2022 and release the area from quarantine. 
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In FY 2022, PPQ began the transition of the strain of sterile Mexflies released in Texas from the Willacy 

strain (where both males and females are released) to the black pupae strain, which allows males and 

females to be separated. Releasing only male sterile flies improves efficiency in controlling wild Mexfly 

populations. 

PPQ also continued to address the European cherry fruit fly (ECFF) in New York during FY 2022. This 

temperate fruit fly species differs from the tropical species that PPQ more typically detects and 

eradicates in Florida, Texas, or California, by having only one lifecycle per year, whereas other species 

have many lifecycles per year and can usually be eradicated within several months. PPQ declares an 

outbreak eradicated if there are no detections within three lifecycles. Additionally, one of ECFF’s 

primary hosts is the honeysuckle plant, which is widespread throughout New York, surrounding States, 

and Canada.

PPQ and cooperators in New York enforce quarantine regulations over the 3,223 square-mile affected 

area to reduce the risk that ECFF will spread to other cherry-producing areas. Cherry producers can 

mitigate damage the pest may cause to crops through current management practices. In FY 2022, PPQ

worked with cherry producers to streamline regulatory measures that allow the movement of cherries out 

of the quarantine areas. In place of requiring trapping in orchards, inspectors now conduct “float tests” 

in the orchard and at the processing plants—when the cherries are submerged in water, fruit fly life 

stages float to the surface—to determine whether any ECFF are present in shipments. This change 

reduces requirements for growers in their fields while meeting the goal of preventing ECFF from 

spreading through cherry shipments. 
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Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM)

In FY 2022, PPQ reclassified LBAM as a nonquarantine pest and removed the domestic LBAM 

quarantine regulations in California and Hawaii effective December 17, 2021. When PPQ first 

confirmed detections of LBAM in the United States in 2007, the best science available indicated that 

this moth would be a pest of economic significance. Over time, however, it became clear that LBAM 

does not cause as much crop damage as initially anticipated. PPQ is revising import requirements for 

certain fruits imported from Australia and New Zealand by removing the requirement for a 

phytosanitary certificate containing an additional declaration that states the shipment is free of LBAM. 

These changes will comply with international standards under the International Plant Protection 

Convention, which do not allow for countries to regulate imports for a specific pest more than it 

regulates it domestically.

Navel Orangeworm (NOW)

In FY 2022, PPQ and cooperators in California and Arizona continued implementation of the NOW 

areawide program, targeting the NOW moth which is a serious pest of tree nut crops, including almonds, 

pistachios, and walnuts. Adult moths exploit gaps or splits in the nut shells or hulls where they lay eggs 

inside the nuts. Newly hatched larvae feed and contaminate the nuts with insect waste and secondary 

fungal spores that may produce poisonous aflatoxins. 

PPQ uses its Phoenix Rearing Facility (PRF) in Arizona to produce sterile NOW moths and ships them 

to California, where they are released by airplane over participating pistachio and almond orchards. PPQ 

produced and released approximately 750,000 sterile NOW moths per day for early-season releases in 

the spring over half of the acreage with the emerging generation of wild NOW moths, and increased 
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production to approximately 1.5 million per day in the summer. PPQ continued to provide a portion of 

the sterile NOW moths for research initiatives conducted by ARS and the University of CaliforniaRiverside. PPQ and cooperators continue to evaluate the impact of the release of sterile moths and the 

other integrated pest management measures on NOW in tree nut crops.

Phytophthora ramorum (P. ramorum)

PPQ protects natural resources and nursery stock production and trade by limiting the spread of P. 

ramorum from quarantine areas and affected nurseries through regulatory strategies and adoption of 

mitigations and changes to cultural practices. P. ramorum, which causes sudden oak death, can be 

moved through host nursery stock and can affect a variety of forest trees. The disease is present in 

coastal northern California and a small area in Curry County, Oregon. In FY 2022, Oregon State 

officials continued surveys related to a positive detection outside the quarantined area the previous year. 

PPQ will update quarantine regulations to include the new area when the delimiting surveys are 

completed. Because of the presence of P. ramorum in the surrounding environment, nurseries within the 

quarantine area that ship interstate must meet annual certification survey and sampling requirements to 

prevent the movement of potentially infested material. The program also regulates nurseries outside the 

quarantine area that have been confirmed positive for P. ramorum in plants, water, or other regulated 

articles. 

The nurseries must remain free of P. ramorum for three consecutive years to be deregulated. All positive 

interstate shipping nurseries must participate in a compliance program using protocols to eliminate the 

pathogen and implement required mitigations focused on critical control points to reduce the risk of 

reintroduction. Currently, 19 nurseries participate in the program. In FY 2022, three nurseries completed 

the program, and PPQ released them from the program requirements. 
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Potatoes 

PPQ addresses two major potato pests, pale cyst nematode (PCN) in Idaho and the golden nematode 

(GN) in New York. Together, these efforts protect 300,000 acres of potatoes in Idaho, valued at $981 

million in 2020 (National Agricultural Statistics Survey Quick Stats), and 14,300 acres in New York,

valued at $45 million in 2018 (National Agricultural Statistics Survey 2018 Potatoes Summary). These 

programs indirectly protect approximately 1 million acres of potato production nationwide worth $2.9 

billion in 2020 (APHIS analysis using National Agricultural Statistics Survey data). 

Pale Cyst Nematode

In FY 2022, PPQ processed 6,398 soil samples for the PCN eradication effort in Idaho, and 5,493 

samples from detection surveys in other States. PCN has not been detected outside of Idaho, and 

fumigations of infested fields in Idaho have reduced PCN populations by 99 percent since the pest was 

first detected in 2006.

The program conducted 1,701 regulatory treatments in FY 2022 of farm equipment to prevent the spread 

of PCN out of regulated areas. There are currently 32 PCN-infested fields, and the current regulated area 

is 6,568 acres, of which 3,542 acres are infested fields, and 3,026 acres are associated fields. The 

infested fields are in an 8.5-mile radius that spans a portion of northern Bingham County and southern 

Bonneville County. In FY 2022, the program conducted eradication treatments on 5 infested fields, 

totaling 452 acres. In the treated fields that no longer show PCN viability, according to a greenhouse 
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bioassay test, producers can plant potatoes with continued monitoring by PPQ and cooperators to ensure 

PCN is not present.

During the greenhouse bioassay (three rounds of greenhouse bioassay that is the equivalent of three crop 

cycles), the program tests the viability of any PCN nematodes found in the soil. If the nematodes are 

found to be non-viable (they fail to reproduce under favorable conditions in the presence of a host), the 

fields from which they came are eligible to immediately return to potato production at the landowners’ 

discretion.

The PCN program requires infested fields that return to potato production to undergo full-field surveys 

following each of three subsequent potato crops to check for viable PCN populations. These fields 

remain regulated but benefit from reduced sanitation requirements. In 2022, farmers planted potatoes in 

three eligible fields; this is the first round of in-field bioassay for two of the fields and the second round 

of in-field bioassay for the third field. The fields will be sampled following harvest and analyzed for the 

presence of viable nematodes. The program is working with ARS, the University of Idaho, and other 

cooperators to develop PCN-resistant potato varieties. PPQ has funded several projects on PCN-resistant 

potato varieties through Plant Protection Act Section 7721 for this long-term effort.

Golden Nematode

In FY 2022, PPQ and New York cooperators continued an effective survey and regulatory program 

targeting golden nematode (GN) with a focus on deregulation of all eligible land. Adopting strategies 

used in the more recently established PCN program, the GN program is focusing on fields that are either 

infested or associated with infested fields rather than political boundaries such as townships. PPQ, 

working closely with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYS AGM), has 
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removed more than 1 million acres from the GN regulated area in New York since 2010, allowing 

several farmers to grow their crops without continued restrictions.

PPQ continues to manage an active control and mitigation program to prevent GN from spreading from 

the remaining 90,307 regulated acres, including 5,945 acres that are infested with GN in portions of 8 

New York counties. The program enforces regulations designed to prevent the spread of GN and 

requires sanitation treatments of on-farm equipment and other items moving out of the quarantined area. 

In FY 2022, the program processed 8,084 soil samples for the GN deregulation effort in New York. The 

program conducted 268 regulatory treatments of farm and earthmoving equipment to prevent the spread 

of GN out of regulated areas and certified 3 shipments of potatoes to Canada, totaling 160,000 pounds.

PPQ has cooperated with USDA’s ARS, NYS AGM, and Cornell University to develop GN-resistant 

potato varieties for several decades. The program is now headquartered at a newly renovated laboratory 

on the Cornell University campus to continue this and other work on methods of eradicating GN. The 

program has developed a total of 45 GN-resistant varieties. Because the pest can overcome resistant 

potato varieties over time, continued development of new GN-resistant varieties is necessary.