The purpose of the commodity-based survey is to detect the presence of nursery and ornamental pests, to include cotton seed BUG (CSB), pink hibiscus mealybug (PHM), cotton jassid (CJ) (also known as…

The Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service awarded the California Department of Food and Agriculture a Cooperative Agreement worth $160,000 on July 1, 2026, to conduct a commodity-based pest survey under the agency's plant pest detection and surveillance authority.

The recipient will identify and survey nursery and ornamental sites across seven California counties to detect cotton seed bug, pink hibiscus mealybug, cotton jassid (two-spot cotton leafhopper), and palm borer. The survey targets high-risk production nurseries with confirmed or reported pest presence and those hosting boxwood or malvaceous host plants. Work includes hiring and training survey staff, preliminary field identification of suspect samples, and submission to the Plant Pest Diagnostic Center for confirmation. The survey will deploy traps at 50 sites for pink hibiscus mealybug and cotton jassid detection, conduct visual surveys at 50 additional sites for cotton seed bug and cotton jassid, and perform visual inspections for palm borer where palms are present. Each nursery receives two visits. Trapping and survey methods follow Cooperative Agriculture Pest Survey guidelines. Surveys run from July through October.

Deliverables include tabulated counts of trapped sites, sampled sites, and samples submitted to establish whether survey efforts sufficiently address project needs. The survey success hinges on detecting the target pests at production nurseries, thereby enabling California to demonstrate to trading partners that California nursery stock and ornamentals are free from these key pests.

Period of performance runs through June 30, 2027. Work is performed in California.

Activities

Identify survey sites developed from risk-based criteria across seven counties. Some of the time will be spent hiring and providing training for survey activities, preliminary field identification of suspect samples, followed by proper submission to the plant pest diagnostic center (PPDC) for examination and identification. Surveys will occur july through october. Traps will be placed at a total of 50 sites for PHM and CJ. A total of 50 sites will be surveyed for CSB and CJ. Visual surveys will be conducted for PB at the survey sites when palms are present. Each nursery will be visited twice. Trapping and survey guidelines will be based on the cooperative agriculture pest survey (CAPS) approved methods. Deliverables and expected outcomes: a tabulation of the number of sites trapped and sampled and the number of samples submitted can be used to determine if the survey efforts were sufficient to meet the project needs. The survey methods described in this document target high risk production nurseries. The program will be considered successful if the targeted pests are not detected in california nurseries, or infestations are found early enough to allow an appropriate mitigative response. Negative survey results would support that pests have not been introduced and/or established in CA. Intended beneficiary(IES): nursery stock imported into california is shown to be a pathway for the introduction of exotic plant pests. The CA nursery industry is a $3.95 billion industry that was ranked 4TH in value for agricultural commodities in the state in 2023. The CA nursery stock export market also comprises 32% of the total US nursery stock export market and is valued at $144 million. IT is critical that CA is able to demonstrate to its trading partners that CA nursery stock and ornamen tals are free from key pests. With the recent detections of CSB in CA, maintaining trade with state and international trading partners is especially important. Subrecipient activities, if known or specified at the time of award: staff from the county agricultural commissioners' offices will assist in this survey. Cost categories: personnel: $30,192; fringe benefits: $17,528; supplies: $98; CO ntractual: $85,396; other: $9,616; indirect costs: $17,170