Six-ton coriander shipment denied entry at Pharr bridge

PHARR — A two-ton coriander shipment was denied entry to the United States at the Pharr bridge Wednesday after customs officials discovered it carried a pest known for transmitting citrus greening disease.

The pest was found at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge during a secondary inspection, according to a statement issued Friday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

A CBP agriculture specialist at the border crossing consulted with an entomologist to further examine the specimen, eventually identified as Asian citrus psyllid, a known carrier of citrus greening disease.

Customs officials denied entry to the shipment and it was returned to Mexico.

Citrus greening, also called Huanglongbing, is a bacterial disease that keeps fruit from maturing. It eventually kills citrus trees. The disease is harmless to humans but can be devastating to citrus production regions of the world, including the Rio Grande Valley.

Earlier this month, agriculture specialists at the bridge discovered a crate of limes and tangerines in the toolbox of a truck carrying a commercial shipment of Persian limes. The specialists noticed light spots on the citrus leaves in the crate and sent them to a USDA entomologist for identification.

No pests were found in the lime shipment, but the fruits in the toolbox were seized and destroyed.

Citrus researchers and industry leaders gathered last week in McAllen for a conference to address serious plant diseases in citrus crops, including citrus greening disease.

The conference generated interest from scientists, producers and industry leaders in Texas, California, Florida, Arizona, Louisiana, Mexico and Belize.

The Asian citrus psyllid was found in Florida in 1998 and later appeared in Texas, according to information posted on a Web site hosted by agri