Welcome to the California Department of Food and Agriculture

PHPPS

  • John Connell, Director
    PHPPS Administration 1220 N Street
    Sacramento, CA 95814
    ph: (916) 654-0317
    fax: (916) 657-1018

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  • 1-800-491-1899
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Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services

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    About Us

    The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Division of Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services (PHPPS) mission is to provide leadership of pest prevention and management programs that effectively protect California’s agriculture, horticulture, natural resources and urban environments from invasive plant pests.

    • Division Home Page
    • Annual Report - 2007: The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (Department) Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services (PHPPS) mission is legislatively mandated and clearly articulated within the California Food and Agricultural Code. The California Legislature, enacting this mandate, also recognizes that pest prevention is uniquely positioned to protect California’s urban and natural environments as well as its agriculture.

    The division is comprised of four branches:

    • Pest Exclusion (PE): Responsible for keeping exotic plant pests out of the State and stopping or minimizing the spread of newly-arrived pests or diseases.
    • Pest Detection/Emergency Projects (PDEP): Responsible for quickly detecting and eradicating serious exotic pests that may enter the state.
    • Integrated Pest Control (IPC): Responsible for protecting rangeland, waterways, crops and urban areas through the weed and vertebrate pest programs.
    • Plant Pest Diagnostics Center (PPD): Assists California’s agricultural export market by determining whether certain agricultural products can be certified as free of serious pests and diseases. This state-of-the-art diagnostic facility houses the California State Collection of Arthropods, a large collection (+ 1.5 million) of insects from around the world.

    SITE MAP

    ADMINISTRATION

    Pest Exclusion (PE)

    • Exterior Program: California Border Protection Stations Activities: Agricultural inspections on all private and commercial vehicles are conducted at sixteen border inspection stations located on major highways throughout the State (six at the Oregon border, five at the Nevada border, and five at the Arizona/Mexico border).
    • Interior Pest Exclusion: Interior Pest Exclusion personnel are responsible for enforcement of federal, foreign and domestic plant pest quarantines, as well as California state exterior and interior quarantines and county restrictions and ordinances.
        • Current Eradication/Quarantine Projects: Exotic fruit flies are of concern to the agriculture industry in California. The larval (maggot) stage of the Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Medfly), the Mexican Fruit Fly and the Oriental Fruit Fly can damage most of the fruits and vegetables grown in our state. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) in concert with most of the County Agricultural Commissioners deploy and maintain over 63,000 detection traps statewide just for exotic fruit flies. Smuggled and/or illegally imported fruit is the most common pathway into California.
    • Nursery, Seed and Quality Cotton Program: The mission of the Nursery Program element is to prevent the introduction and spread of agricultural pests through nursery stock and protect agriculture and the consumer against economic losses resulting from the sale of inferior, defective, or pest-infested nursery stock.
        • Quality Cotton: All cotton grown in the San Joaquin Valley Quality Cotton District must meet criteria established by the SJV Quality Cotton Law. As a result of the law, the District grows some of the highest quality cotton in the world.
        • Seed Services: Seed Law Enforcement. The goal of seed law enforcement is to protect seed consumers, including vegetable and field crop growers, as well as urban landscapers.
    • Export Status of California Specialty Crops: California exported over eight billion dollars of agricultural products in 2004, and is the top exporter in the nation for fruits, tree nuts, and many other specialty crops. With funding from the USDA, through the Technical Assistance of Specialty Crops Program (TASC), CDFA has created a database to track the status of pest list requests. The database is designed to facilitate communication among growers, commodity boards, CDFA, and USDA.

    Pest Detection/Emergency Projects (PDEP)

    • Fruit Fly Treatment: The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) conducts eradication projects when evidence of an infestation is found within the state. The purpose of an eradication project is to prevent the environmental and economic damage that would be caused by the establishment of these pests.
    • Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM): Light brown apple moth (LBAM) is an exotic pest that has recently been discovered in portions of the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. LBAM is a native pest to Australia and has been introduced into New Zealand, New Caledonia, Hawaii, the United Kingdom and Ireland. This moth can affect a wide variety of plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables.
    • Preventative Release Program (Medfly): The purpose of the Program is to prevent the establishment of Medfly colonization by the continuous release of sterile Medflies into the environment.
    • Red Imported Fire Ant: The overall goal of the Red Imported Fire Ant (RIFA) program is to provide an intensive, coordinated state and community-wide program with a high probability of containing the spread, controlling and/or eradicating the current population, and detecting RIFA as it exists elsewhere in California.
    • Target Pests and Diseases: There are many harmful insect pests and plant diseases that put California's environment and economy at risk. This site offers a list of significant pests and diseases included in the Department's detection and eradication programs.

    Integrated Pest Control (IPC)

    • Biocontrol: The Biological Control Program helps to minimize the economic and environmental impact of noxious weed and insect species through the implementation of biological control programs throughout the state.
    • Curly Top Virus Program: The Curly Top Virus Control Program's (CTVCP) objective is to reduce the incidence of beet curly top virus (BCTV) infection in susceptible crops below a level of economic importance, through the use of integrated pest management techniques. BCTV is an extremely serious plant virus affecting several hundred varieties of ornamental and commercial crops in California.
    • Hydrilla: Hydrilla is a pernicious aquatic plant which infests natural and man-made aquatic ecosystems. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) conducts eradication efforts in nine counties throughout California integrating various methods of control.
    • Japanese Dodder: The Japanese Dodder is an exotic, potentially invasive parasitic vine recently introduced to California. CDFA is requesting assistance from other agencies and the public in locating unknown infestations in order to assess the current distribution of Japanese dodder.
    • Pink Bollworm: The Pink Bollworm Program is probably the most successful and longest running yet least known area wide Integrated Pest Control (IPC) programs in the world. The Pink Bollworm Program uses an integrated pest control approach, relying on trapping, sterile release, crop destruction, and occasional pheromone treatments to keep infestations below economic impact levels. The program does not use pesticides, but rather uses sterile PBW moths to overwhelm these infestations.
    • Tristeza Virus: The Department contracts with the Central California Tristeza Eradication Agency to supply the agency a plant pathologist to provide technical expertise in detection, identification and eradication of citrus tristeza virus. The Central California Tristeza Eradication Agency, formed in 1963, is charged with the survey, detection and eradication of citrus tristeza virus (CTV) within participating Pest Control Districts.
    • Vertebrates: This project maintains a staff of biologists with expertise in regulatory weed and vertebrate pest eradication and suppression programs directed at vertebrate pests of limited distribution or that occupy specific habitats. The project also provides general supervision, technical assistance and training in vertebrate pest control to county agricultural commissioner personnel engaged in regulatory vertebrate pest control activities.
    • Weed Management Areas: Weed Management Areas (WMAs) are local organizations that bring together landowners and managers (private, city, county, State, and Federal) in a county, multi-county, or other geographical area to coordinate efforts and expertise against common invasive weed species. WMAs have printed weed I.D./control brochures, organized weed education events, written and obtained grants, coordinated demonstration plots, and instituted joint eradication, mapping, outreach, and other effective weed management projects.
    • Weed Eradication: This program maintains a staff of biologists with expertise in regulatory weed eradication and suppression programs directed at noxious weeds of limited distribution. The project also provides general supervision, technical assistance and training in weed control to county agricultural commissioner personnel engaged in regulatory weed control activities.

            IPC PROJECTS AND RESOURCES

    • Purple Loosestrife Project: is an attractive but deadly threat to California Wetlands and Waterways. Purple loosestrife has taken over waterways across the United States, invading wet areas such as lakeshores, stream banks, marshes, ditches, and canals.
    • Yellow Starthistle Mapping Project: Yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis) is estimated by the California Department of Food and Agriculture to cover over 12 million acres in California. It is toxic to horses and is avoided by most grazers once it has bolted and become spiny. It is a serious nuisance on recreational lands and degrades the resale value of private property. It increases fire danger and poses a major threat to biodiversity in native ecosystems.
    • Encycloweedia: Notes on identification, biology, and management of plants defined as noxious weeds by California law. The California Department of Food and Agriculture created and supports this site as a resource for public use. The University of California, Davis brought together and organized the information in the sheets.
    • Noxious Weed Information Project (NWIP): Current activities include collecting and processing data on current weed management projects that are focused primarily on A-rated weeds. NWIP provides maps and other information for CDFA, biologists and the general public.
    • Noxious Times: This publication, sponsored by the California Interagency Noxious and Invasive Plant Committee (CINIPC), provides agencies and local staff with information on noxious weed control throughout California. It is published quarterly by staff of the Integrated Pest Control Branch.

    Plant Pest Diagnostics (PPD)

    • Botany Laboratory
        • CDFA Herbarium: The Botany lab was initially intended as a means of identifying current and potential weeds of agriculture. Its primary mission remains the identification of submitted specimens and first line assessment of their potential invasiveness. The botany lab consults extensively with state agricultural officers and extension agents and the USDA, as well as NGOs such as the California Exotic Plant Pest Council (CalEPPC), the California native Plant Society (CNPS) to identify the most threatening plant invaders.
    • Entomology Laboratory
        • California State Collection of Arthropods: The California State Collection of Arthropods (CSCA) is an international resource for research and identification of various groups of the Phylum Arthropoda, especially Insecta. The total number of prepared specimens exceeds 1.5 million, making this the 6th largest collection in California.
    • Nematology Laboratory
        • CDFA Nematode Collection: The nematode slide collection of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA Permanent Slide Reference Collection) includes 1,675 slides containing approximately 12,000 specimens in 60 genera and over 200 species. The collection comprises largely of specimens collected by nematologists from samples processed and analyzed in the Laboratory, as well as some permanently mounted specimens purchased from external sources. The collection is used mainly as in-house reference material to assist CDFA scientists in the identification of nematodes. No type material is maintained in the collection.
    • Plant Pathology Laboratory
        • CDFA Plant Pathogen Collections: The CDFA Plant Pathology Collections are maintained as several separate entities: 1) Phytophthora species isolate collection; 2) Herbarium of fungal plant disease specimens from California; 3) Isolate collection of fungal plant pathogens found in California; and, 4) Bacterial culture collection (formerly housed at University of California, Berekely). The collection is used mainly as in-house reference material to assist CDFA scientists in the identification of and research on plant pathogens. No type material is maintained in the collection.
    • Seed Botany Laboratory
        • CDFA Seed Herbarium: The CDA Seed and Fruit Collection (SFC) is the second largest collection of its kind in North America. Originally developed with representative species found in California agricultural situations, the collection has grown to include species from all over the world. As of August 2007, the CDA SFC contains approximately 40,000 specimens. The Seed Laboratory maintains a reference library devoted to seed science and seed technology. A searchable database containing over 11,000 entries of books, scientific journals, and literature files is available for use by staff and visitors to the laboratory.
    • Western Plant Diagnostic Network: The Western Plant Diagnostic Network (WPDN) is a regional member of the larger National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN). NPDN consists of five regional plant diagnostic centers located at Cornell University (NEPDN); Michigan State University (NCPDN); Kansas State University (GPDN); the University of Florida (SPDN); and the University of California, Davis in partnership with the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Sacramento (WPDN). Each regional center coordinates data gathering, diagnostic collaboration, and other activities of member land grant institutions, national agencies and state departments of agriculture.

    INDEX

    Brochures

    CDFA Collections

    • California State Collection of Arthropods: The California State Collection of Arthropods (CSCA) is an international resource for research and identification of various groups of the Phylum Arthropoda, especially Insecta. The total number of prepared specimens exceeds 1.5 million, making this the 6th largest collection in California.
    • CDFA Herbarium: The Botany lab was initially intended as a means of identifying current and potential weeds of agriculture. Its primary mission remains the identification of submitted specimens and first line assessment of their potential invasiveness. The botany lab consults extensively with state agricultural officers and extension agents and the USDA, as well as NGOs such as the California Exotic Plant Pest Council (CalEPPC), the California native Plant Society (CNPS) to identify the most threatening plant invaders.
    • CDFA Seed Herbarium: The CDA Seed and Fruit Collection (SFC) is the second largest collection of its kind in North America. Originally developed with representative species found in California agricultural situations, the collection has grown to include species from all over the world. As of August 2007, the CDA SFC contains approximately 40,000 specimens. The Seed Laboratory maintains a reference library devoted to seed science and seed technology. A searchable database containing over 11,000 entries of books, scientific journals, and literature files is available for use by staff and visitors to the laboratory.
    • CDFA Nematode Collection: The nematode slide collection of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA Permanent Slide Reference Collection) includes 1,675 slides containing approximately 12,000 specimens in 60 genera and over 200 species. The collection comprises largely of specimens collected by nematologists from samples processed and analyzed in the Laboratory, as well as some permanently mounted specimens purchased from external sources. The collection is used mainly as in-house reference material to assist CDFA scientists in the identification of nematodes. No type material is maintained in the collection.
    • CDFA Plant Pathogen Collections: The CDFA Plant Pathology Collections are maintained as several separate entities: 1) Phytophthora species isolate collection; 2) Herbarium of fungal plant disease specimens from California; 3) Isolate collection of fungal plant pathogens found in California; and, 4) Bacterial culture collection (formerly housed at University of California, Berekely). The collection is used mainly as in-house reference material to assist CDFA scientists in the identification of and research on plant pathogens. No type material is maintained in the collection.

    Databases

    • Encylcoweedia: Notes on identification, biology, and management of plants defined as noxious weeds by California law. The California Department of Food and Agriculture created and supports this site as a resource for public use. The University of California, Davis brought together and organized the information in the sheets.
    • Export Status of California Specialty Crops: California exported over eight billion dollars of agricultural products in 2004, and is the top exporter in the nation for fruits, tree nuts, and many other specialty crops. With funding from the USDA, through the Technical Assistance of Specialty Crops Program (TASC), CDFA has created a database to track the status of pest list requests. The database is designed to facilitate communication among growers, commodity boards, CDFA, and USDA.
    • The Noxious Weed Information Project (NWIP): is a part of Integrated Pest Control. Current activities include collecting and processing data on current weed management projects that are focused primarily on A-rated weeds. NWIP provides maps and other information for CDFA, biologists and the general public.
    • The United States National Collection of Scale Insect Photographs: This library of scale insect photographs represents over 1,400 images taken in the last 40 years.

    Fact Sheets

    FAQ's

    Laboratories

    • Botany Laboratory: The Botany Laboratory provides plant identification services, noxious weed distribution information, and biological support data to the County Agricultural Commissioners' offices, the general public, CDFA programs and various other State and Federal agencies. These activities function to help prevent the introduction and spread of serious weed pests and to identify host plants of insects, plant diseases, and plant parasitic nematodes. Plant identification is an integral part of weed pest exclusion, detection, control, and eradication.
    • Entomology Laboratory: This laboratory is the primary support unit for the state's eradication, control, survey, and biological programs involving injurious pests, including (but certainly not limited to) exotic fruit flies (Mediterranean, Oriental, Mexican, Guava, West Indian, Carribean, Olive, Melon, Western cherry fruit flies, and apple maggot), leaf-miner and other flies, Glassy-winged sharpshooter and other leaf- and planthoppers, Africanized honey bee, Red Imported Fire Ants, Asian longhorn beetle and other wood-boring beetles, sweet potato weevil, cotton boll weevil, Japanese beetle, seven-spotted lady beetle, European and Asian gypsy moths, European corn borer, European pine shoot moth, pink bollworm, Pink Hibiscus mealybug, sweet potato whitefly, giant whitefly, nesting whitefly, ash whitefly, green shield scale, euonymus scale, magnolia white scale, and numerous other scales, mealybugs, and whiteflies, bluegum psyllid, ticks, mites, spiders, snails, and many other domestic and exotic pests.
    • Nematology Laboratory: The Nematology Laboratory provides diagnostic support for the protection of California’s agricultural industry against economically important plant parasitic nematodes associated with plant disease. The State’s agricultural industry could lose over $600 million annually in crop losses if certain plant parasitic nematodes not known, or of limited occurrence in California would become widespread within the State.
    • Plant Pathology Laboratory: Diagnostic services provided by the Plant Pathology Laboratory included: diagnosis of samples submitted by pest prevention programs by state, county, and federal agencies, as well as academic and public sources; diagnosis of samples submitted by the Fruit and Nut Tree and Grapevine Improvement Advisory Board to be tested for Prunus necrotic ringspot and prune dwarf viruses using enzyme-linked Immunosorbent assay (ELISA); diagnosis of grapevine samples submitted by the Grapevine Registration and Certification Program for ELISA testing for the presence of grapevine fanleaf and leaf roll viruses; diagnosis of plant samples specifically for Piece’s Disease, as part of the Statewide Glassy Wing Sharpshooter and Pierce’s Disease Project; diagnosis of samples as part of Homeland Security’s National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN); diagnosis of Seed samples examined and tested to determine phytosanitary seed health compliance prior to export; diagnosis of miscellaneous plant samples submitted by individual farmers, pest control advisors, U.C. cooperative extension agents, nurserymen, arborists, homeowners, government municipalities, educational institutions, and others; and, diagnosis of samples collected for various plant disease surveys including Plum Pox, Sudden Oak Death, Citrus Canker, Rice Diseases, and others.
    • Seed Botany Laboratory: The Seed Laboratory identifies and evaluates seed samples and other plant propagules submitted by Department representatives (primarily through the Pest Exclusion Branch), seed producers and distributors, commercial and private laboratories, other state and federal agencies, academic institutions, and private citizens. The laboratory is considered an impartial authority and the information provided is often utilized in resolving contract disputes among seed trade parties.
    • Western Plant Diagnostic Network: The Western Plant Diagnostic Network (WPDN) is a regional member of the larger National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN). NPDN consists of five regional plant diagnostic centers located at Cornell University (NEPDN); Michigan State University (NCPDN); Kansas State University (GPDN); the University of Florida (SPDN); and the University of California, Davis in partnership with the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Sacramento (WPDN). Each regional center coordinates data gathering, diagnostic collaboration, and other activities of member land grant institutions, national agencies and state departments of agriculture.

    Manuals

    • Agricultural Commodity Identification Aid Manual: This pictorial index was created as an aid to assist inspectors with the identification of commodities not normally encountered in California. We stress the word "aid," as final determinations should be made by a qualified plant biologist or botanist.
    • Commodity Treatment Manual: The Extranet for Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services. You need to login to gain access to the site.
    • County Pest Exclusion Procedural Training Manual: This manual on plant quarantine procedures is designed as a reference guide to Pest Exclusion staff and a training tool for new permanent county inspectors. The overall goal of the manual is to provide a relatively easy means of developing good awareness of Pest Exclusion activities to the inspector and others interested in Pest Exclusion functions.
    • Exotic Pest Regulatory Response Manual: This manual will continue to evolve over time as new crop trends develop, additional agricultural pest control techniques are adopted, and regulatory priorities change. Periodic updates of each section will be issued as revisions are made.
    • Nursery Inspection Procedures Manual: California laws and regulations pertaining to nursery stock. This is the on-line version of the Nursery Inspection Procedures Manual; the print version of this regulatory guide is being distributed to California's county, state and federal cooperators for their review and comment.
    • Plant Quarantine Manual: This is the online version of the Plant Quarantine Manual (PQM), prepared by the Pest Exclusion Branch of CDFA's Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services Division. The full text of the PQM is posted to this site for viewing, and summarizes current federal, state and county regulations and restrictions that apply to plant material entering California and its counties. The quarantine regulatory information posted on this site is identical to that contained in the printed version of the manual, and either can be utilized for reference.
    • USDA/PPQ Manuals: This web site contains Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) manuals in electronic format. The Manuals are categorized into three areas: Domestic Programs, Port Programs, and Emergency Programs.

    Newsletters

    • The Noxious Times: This publication, sponsored by the California Interagency Noxious and Invasive Plant Committee (CINIPC), provides agencies and local staff with information on noxious weed control throughout California. It is published quarterly by staff of the Integrated Pest Control Branch.

    Reports

    • Annual Report - 2007: The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (Department) Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services (PHPPS) mission is legislatively mandated and clearly articulated within the California Food and Agricultural Code. The California Legislature, enacting this mandate, also recognizes that pest prevention is uniquely positioned to protect California’s urban and natural environments as well as its agriculture. It specifically instructs the Department to protect ornamental and native plantings as well as agricultural crops from the harm caused by exotic pest invasions.
    • Preventing Biological Pollution: The Mediterranean Fruit Fly Exclusion Program: Working with our agency partners, the California Department of Food and Agriculture has significant responsibilities to protect our state from biological pollution. One of the world’s most destructive pests affecting the food supply is the Mediterranean fruit fly, or Medfly (Ceratitis capitata).
    • Protecting California from Biological Pollution (January 2004): Exotic and invasive strains and species constitute a form of biological pollution that threatens America’s people, commerce and environment to the tune of $100 billion annually. Working with our agency partners, CDFA has direct responsibilities to protect our state from biological pollution. We undertake these activities, not just for the benefit of agriculture, but to protect all Californians, all California industries, and all of California’s precious natural resources.
    • 2006 Directory: Nurserymen and Others Licensed to Sell Nursery Stock in California: This directory lists all the licensed nurseries and nursery stock dealers in California. Copies of this Directory are available to California licensed nurserymen at a cost of $5.00 per copy. Persons other than licensees may obtain a copy at a cost of $25.00. Both prices include handling and mailing costs.