Preparing Citrus Budwood for Shipment

For several years I have been working to introduce new citrus varieties to California via the Citrus Clonal Protection Program (CCPP). This article shows the procedure that is used to prepare citrus budwood to maximize the probability of a successful citrus introduction. In order to request a citrus variety introduction, follow the steps outlined in this article.

Approval and Permits Needed to Ship Budwood

Movement of citrus cuttings into the United States and within California is highly regulated due to the risk of pests and diseases that the cuttings may carry. Citrus cuttings may be shipped only with special approval and permits.

Preparing Citrus Budwood for Shipment – YouTube Video

The following video shows how to properly prepare budwood for shipment to the CCPP. This procedure is to be performed only after receiving from the CCPP the appropriate permits and approval to ship budwood to the CCPP.

 

Shipping the Citrus Budwood

Carefully follow the shipping instructions provided by the CCPP. Place the budwood in the box along with a copy of all permit pages and other paperwork provided by the CCPP. For budwood sent from outside of the United States, be sure to apply labels on the outside of the box as indicated in the CCPP shipping instructions. Be sure to avoid shipping budwood at the end of the week (i.e. Thursday or Friday) in order to avoid potential budwood degradation that could result if the budwood were to spend the weekend in a hot warehouse or in the back of a truck. If budwood is collected at the end of the week, place it in the refrigerator (4℃) and ship it first thing on Monday morning.

Shoot Tip Grafting Procedure

The following video shows how the CCPP introduces a disease-free citrus variety using the received budwood.

 

Acknowledgement

For their input and help with this article and the embedded YouTube video, I thank Georgios Vidalakis and Greg Greer.

Funding

This article was sponsored by the Citrus Clonal Protection Program.