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HLB Laboratory: Procedure for Sampling and Shipping Plant Material

Please follow the instructions below to submit citrus samples to be screened for the presence of Candidatus Liberobacter asiaticus, the causal agent of HLB.

  1. Collect leaves with stems intact from live branches with fully expanded leaves. Samples should be collected from symptomatic branches if present.
  2. Submit a minimum of 10 leaves. Please do not submit fruit samples.
  3. Place the sample into a re-sealable plastic bag (e.g., Zip-lock), squeeze the air from the bag and seal it.
  4. Assign and record on the bag a unique sample identification number (Grower’s sample ID).
  5. Complete a corresponding HLB Sample Submission Form. Forms are available here. Please make sure the Sample Submission Form is complete, providing the exact sample location. We will not process samples lacking sample location and/or client information.
  6. Place the form and the bagged sample into a second resealable bag. Keep samples cool (on ice) until shipment. Do not freeze the samples.
  7. Samples should be submitted in person or shipped overnight either on the day collected or before noon the following day (samples will deteriorate if delayed in transit).

Please submit samples Monday through Thursday only to:

HLB Lab
2685 SR 29 N
Immokalee, Fl 34142
Phone: 239-658-3400
ssteems@ufl.edu

Additional Information

Sampling Procedure

Additional, detailed information about sampling procedures can be found here.

Sample Results

Results will be submitted to the client in a timely manner. Results will be reported as positive, negative or inconclusive:

  • A positive result indicates the presence of Candidatus Liberobacter asiaticus in the sample under our testing conditions.
  • A negative result indicates that Candidatus Liberobacter asiaticus was NOT DETECTED in the sample under our testing conditions, but does not unequivocally indicate that the sample is free of Candidatus Liberobacter asiaticus. If an HLB sample result is negative, resubmission at a later time should be considered.
  • An inconclusive result indicates that another sample should be resubmitted and retested.