TALLAHASSEE — Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson, like
many people, enjoys fresh Florida guacamole and wants the public to know
that a plant disease called laurel wilt is threatening one of its host
trees, the Florida avocado. The Department’s Division of Plant Industry
(DPI) has created a “Save the Guac” campaign to educate the public about
this disease and the importance of Florida’s avocado industry.
As Cinco de Mayo approaches, kitchens are abuzz dicing tomatoes and
cilantro, squeezing limes and slicing up fresh Florida avocados. The
Department’s Executive Chef Justin Timineri has a guacamole recipe that is
hard to beat. Find the recipe and a video demonstration on how to prepare
it at http://www.savetheguac.com or on YouTube. At the same site, find information on laurel wilt disease and what you can do to prevent the spread
of this disease.
Laurel wilt is a destructive disease of redbay, avocado and other trees in
the laurel family. The disease is caused by a fungus that infects the
sapwood of host trees, restricting the flow of water, causing the leaves to
wilt and the trees to die. The fungus is carried into trees by the
non-native redbay ambrosia beetle, which was first detected in the United
States near Savannah, Georgia, in 2002 and subsequently found in Duval
County, Florida, in 2005. Laurel wilt has caused high levels of mortality
in redbay trees in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, and has affected
several other hosts including sassafras and avocado.
The Florida Agricultural Statistics Service reports that Florida has over
6,773 production acres of avocados in South Florida. Florida’s avocado
industry and backyard avocado trees are healthy; however, if a disease such
as laurel wilt were to take hold, the estimated replacement cost of
commercial and backyard avocados in Florida is $423 million, a cost
agriculture officials and the industry want to avoid.
Guacamole lovers need to unite to stop the disease before it reaches
Florida’s avocado groves. The public can help prevent the spread of the
redbay ambrosia beetle and laurel wilt disease by following these simple
suggestions:
— Become familiar with the signs of laurel wilt disease and redbay ambrosia
beetle http://www.savetheguac.com and be on the lookout for evidence of the pest/disease on your trees.
— Use local firewood only. Do not transport firewood from other states
because destructive pests and diseases, such as redbay ambrosia beetle and
laurel wilt, can hitchhike into Florida on infested firewood.
— Do not transport host trees (redbay, swamp bay, avocado, sassafras,
pondspice, pondberry and others in the Lauraceae family) unless purchased
from a registered nursery.
— People who suspect their trees may be infected with laurel wilt, or think
they have found a redbay ambrosia beetle, are urged to contact the DPI
helpline at 1-888-397-1517.
So, on this Cinco de Mayo, prepare your favorite guacamole dish and ponder
life without it. You will be sure to take responsible steps to prevent
anything that threatens the health of Florida avocado trees. Join the cause
and visit http://www.savetheguac.com where you can sign up to receive a free “Save the Guac” bumper sticker and view Chef Justin’s guacamole recipe and
video demonstration.