San Joaquin County declares emergency to protect tomato crop
Jul. 12—While some of the region's agricultural commodities can be affected by extreme cold or heat, there's one crop in the county that officials worry could be damaged by an insect-borne virus.
The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 to declare a local emergency due to the migration of the beet leafhopper and the presence of the beet curly top virus in tomatoes.
San Joaquin County Agricultural Commissioner Kamal Bagri issued the declaration on July 3, which allows growers to use neonicotinoids to combat BLH, as well as the risk of BCTV appearing in the crop.
"I want to take all necessary steps to empower and assist our local growers in getting their products to market in a safe and effective manner," Bagri said. "The new regulations from the state have this important exemption to combat threats at the local level when needed to protect our local produce and economy."
On Jan. 1, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation restricted the use of neonicotinoids on crops during bloom.
However, restriction of the application is exempt if a local emergency is declared, county officials said.
According to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, neonicotinoids — or neonics — are widely-used type of insecticides that are highly toxic to insects, including bees and butterflies.
The European Union severely restricted their use in 2013, and a recent EPA assessment found that the top three neonics put more 200 species at risk of extinction, including the Karner blue butterfly and the rusty patched bumble bee.
Bagri told supervisors Tuesday that since April, six other counties in the Central Valley have declared similar emergencies.
San Joaquin County only declared its own emergency last week, she said, because the tomato crop usually grows later than it does in counties to the south.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture said BCTV infects 300 crop and weed plant species, and causes significant damage to sugar beets, tomatoes, spinach, melons, hemp and peppers, among others.
The virus can be found in crops in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, and Utah.
The beet leafhopper is the only known insect that can transmit the virus, and does so by feeding on annual and perennial weeds such as peppergrass, wild mustard, Russian thistle or goosefoot, the CDFA said.
Adult beet leafhoppers are about 3 millimeters in length and have a distinctive dark banding around their abdomen, according to the CDFA.
The insect can be light green in color during the summer and tan or brown with patterned wings during the winter.
It has long, serrated rear legs and a distinctive crest is usually present at the base of the head.
There are more than 215,000 acres of tomato crop in the county, and county officials said about 18,500 were planted last year, representing some $147 million of annual harvested value.
Tomaotes infected with BCTV will stop growing and will turn yellow to bronze with purple tinged leaves, according to the University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program.
Leaves are also dwarfed, crinkled, rolled inward, and cupped upward.
"The board of supervisors appreciates the proactive stance of our agricultural commissioner to protect our valuable agricultural products and the likelihood of our growers" board chair Miguel Villapudua said. "We recognize that this more than $3 billion a year industry is the lifeblood of our community and an important part of our Valley culture. We are committed to giving our growers the tools they need to protect their crops and their businesses and the jobs that go along with them."
