**United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service**  **Plant Protection and Quarantine**



## Risk Managem **ent Document**


## Importation of Unshu Orange, **Citrus reticulata var.**  **unshu ,**  **Fruit from Japan into the Continental United States** 

**May 1**  **6 , 201**  **3**

**Plant Health Programs (PHP) Regulations Permits and manuals (RPM)**  **Contact Person: Meredith C. Jones** **Introduction**

In response to the request from the Japanese national plant protection organization (NPPO) to reevaluate the existing conditions for the importation of Unshu orange from Japan into the continental United States, a Pest Risk Assessment (PRA) was developed b y United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHI S), Plant Epidemiology

and Risk Analy sis laboratory (PERAL)

. The PRA document, “ Importation of Japanese Unshu Orange, Citrus reticulata Blanco var. unshu , fr uit into the Continental United States (USDA, 201 3 ), identified the pathogen “Candidatus Liberobacter asiaticus" Jagoueix et al. 1994, a s a quarantine pest that may follow the pathway , but rated the risk as “Negligible ” since it is highl y unlikely to be introduced into the United States via fruit for consumption. The PRA (USDA, 2013) analyzed one bacterium , Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (ex Hasse 1915) Gabriel et al . 1989, as of quarantine significance associated with Japanese Unshu orange fruit and rated it as “Medium” pest risk potential

. **History** APHI S developed a PRA titled ‘‘An Updated Evaluation of Citrus Fruit ( Citrus spp.) as a Pathway for the Introduction of Citrus Canker Disease ( Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri)’’ in March 2009 (USDA, 2009a). This PRA examines the information presented in Gottwald et al

. (2009) and Shiotani et al . (2009) in the context of an earlier PRA. Based on the evidence presented in both the November 2007 PRA (USDA, 2007) and the two new p ublications, the updated PRA concludes that asy mptomatic fruit (treated or untreated) is not epidemiologicall y significant as a pathway

for introducing citrus canker. It further concludes that sy mptomatic fruit subjected to a packinghouse process that inc ludes washing with disinfectants is also not epidemiologically

significant as a pathway

for introducing citrus canker. These conclusions led APHI S to prepare a supplemental Risk Management Analy sis (RMA), titled ‘‘Movement of Commercially

Packed Citrus Fr

uit from Citrus Canker Disease Quarantine Area; Supplemental Risk Management Anal ysis’’ (USDA, 2009b). The supplemental RMA takes into account the conclusions of the updated PRA as well as the evidence and discussion presented in the November 2007 RMA. In the supplemental RMA, APHI S determined that currently available scientific evidence provides additional certainty that commerciall y packed and disinfected fresh citrus fruit is not an epidemiologically

significant pathway

for the spread of Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri
. As a result of this research, APHI S amended its domestic citrus canker regulations on October 22, 2009. Each lot of harvested domestic citrus fruit from canker quarantine areas can be shipped to all U.S. States provided it is treated wi th an approved disinfectant and packed in a commercial packinghouse that operates under a compliance agreement. Equivalent phytosanitary measures, treatment with an APHIS

- approved disinfectant and packing in a commercial packing house are therefore approp riate for commercial consignments of Unshu oranges from Japan. The current regulations for the importation of Unshu oranges from Japan include more stringent conditions that were based on the domestic regulations that were in place before we decided that it was appropriate to reduce restrictions on the interstate movement of citrus fruit from citrus cankerquarantined areas. These include requirement s for production in citrus canker

- free export areas

and inspections of the Unshu oranges in the groves. **Risk Management Measures for Xanthomonas citri**  **subsp. citri**  Unshu oranges from Japan may be imported if all of the following conditions are met: * Unshu orange fruit s may be imported onl y in commercial consignment s. The fruit must be practicall y free of leaves, twigs and other plant parts, except for stems that are less than one inch long and attached to the fruit. * Unshu orange fruits must be packed in a commercial packinghouse that is approved b y and registered with the Japanese NPPO. * Unshu orange fruits must be surface disinfected in accordance with 7 CFR part 305 , and according to treatment schedules listed in the PPQ Treatment Manual , at the packinghouses. * The consignment must have a Ph yt osanitary Certificate (PC) with an Additional Declarati on (AD) issued b y the Japanese NPPO stating that the Unshu oranges were treated in accordance with 7 CFR part 305

. * APHI S will inspect Unshu orange fruit consignments at the port of entry to the United States. **Summary** APHI S believes that the risk management measures discussed in this document will provide an appropriate level of phyt osanitary protection against the bacterium Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri associated with Unshu orange fruit imported from Japan into the C ontinental United States. APHI S requires fruit moved from an area where citrus canker exists to be treated with an approved disinfectant and to be packed in approved commercial packinghouse s . The product may

be imported in commercial consignments only af ter treatment with a disinfectant, only

if it is free of leaves, twigs, and other plant parts, except for stems that are less than 1 inch long and attached to the fruit

.

**Author** José R. Hernández Ph.D. Senior Risk Manager

– Plant Pathology

.**Reference s** 

APHI S, 2000. Guidelines for Pathway

- Initiated Pest Risk Assessments. Version 5.02. Plant Protection and Quarantine, Riverdale, Maryland. Gottwald, T., Graham, J., Bock, C., Bonn, G., Civerolo, E., Irey , M., Leite, R., L ópez, M. M., McCollum, G., Parker, P., Ramallo, J., Riley , T., Schubert, T., Stein, B., and Taylor, E. 2009. The epidemiological significance of post packinghouse survival of Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri for dissemination of Asiatic citrus canker via infected fruit. Crop Protection 28:508

- 524. Shiotani, H., Uematsu, H., Tsukamoto, T., Shimizu, Y., Ueda, K., Mizuno, A. & Sato, S. 2009. Survival and dispersal of Xanthomonas c itri pv. citri from infected Satsuma mandarin fruit. Crop Protection 28:19

- 23. USDA. 2007. Movement of Commercially Packed Citrus Fruit from Citrus Canker Disease Quarantine Area. Revised Risk Management Analy sis. United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine, Center for Plant Health Science and Technology , Plant Epidemiology and Risk Analy sis laboratory . 123 pp. USDA, 2009a. An Updated Evaluation of Citrus Fruit ( Citrus spp.) as a Pathway for the Introduction of Citrus Canker Disease ( Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri). United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine, Center for Plant Health Science and Technology , Plant Epidemiology and Risk Analy sis laboratory . 11 pp. USDA, 2009b. Movement of Commercially Packed Citrus Fruit from Citrus Canker Disease Quarantine Area, Supplemental Risk Management Analy ses. United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine, Center for Plant Health Science and Technology , Plant Epidemiology and Risk Analy sis laboratory . 28 pp. USDA, 201 3
. Importation of Japanese Unshu Orange, Citrus reticulata Blanco var. unshu , fruit int o the Continental United States. A Pathway

- Initiated Risk Analysis. Version 5
. United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine, Center for Plant Health Science and Technology, Plant Epide miology

and Risk Analy sis laboratory

. 97 pp.