Tom Shea, an expert in subtropical fruits and citrus, will address members of the Pacific Palisades Garden Club and guests on Monday, March 5 at 7:30 p.m. at the Woman’s Club, 901 Haverford. For the past 10 years, Shea has been a staff research associate in the subtropical horticulture program at the UC Cooperative Extension, working with the citrus varietals and subtropical fruit (avocados, dates, mangoes) collection, which entails educational outreach. He has also been engaged in ongoing research on the Asian psyllid and the bacterial disease Huanlongbing (HLB) that it carries and that has ruined much of the citrus industry in Florida. ‘While the psyllid has entered California, so far we haven’t found HLB,’ Shea says, adding, ‘The bacteria is devastating and can kill a tree in three to five years.’ Despite dire predictions, there have been positive results in eradicating the psyllid. Researchers at UC Riverside have introduced a wasp from the Punjab that is a natural enemy of the Asian psyllid. ‘One female wasp may kill 300 Asian citrus psyllid nymphs in her lifetime,’ Shea says. ‘It may help eradicate up to 20 to 30 percent [of the infestation].’ Florida oranges, Valencias, are used primarily for juice, Shea notes. ‘We grow navels and late navels (that mature in the summertime) in Southern California, which do very well due to the disparity between daytime and nighttime temperatures.’ Shea will give the Garden Club audience information about the citrus varieties that grow particularly well in the marine climate of Pacific Palisades. Although there is not enough heat for grapefruit, Shea says that there are new hybrids that produce sweet fruit in our zone. He will also discuss two tangerine varieties that are especially suited for the home garden.
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