Seasonal Flower Industry Threatened by Pests

KPBS | By KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published October 30, 2006 at 8:32 AM PST

This story was published more than 18 years ago.

Encinitas is known by many for its beautiful flowers, especially its glorious poinsettias. But could the holiday season's favorite flower be home to a devastating pest that could wipe out the $19 bill

Tom Fudge : Gardeners know that white flies are no stranger to California. But some people who monitor the agriculture industry are becoming very concerned about a certain white fly. It’s known as the Q-biotype. And it may be arriving in this country on imported poinsettia plants. But unlike the festive poinsettia, this white fly offers no Christmas cheer. It is pesticide resistant, and it could wreak havoc on many important agricultural plants, including poinsettias and cotton.

San Diego County is at the heart of this matter, because it is at the heart of the poinsettia industry.

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Rex Dalton , west coast correspondent for Nature Magazine, an international scientific weekly based in London.