The federal government yesterday ordered a quarantine restricting shipping of Hawai'i's plant exports — including flowers, lei, fruits and vegetables — to stop the spread of the light brown apple moth that threatens crops in California.

The quarantine order says that nearly all plant material will need to be "visually inspected and certified as free of (the moth) ... before leaving the state."

Hawai'i agriculture officials and growers said it's too early to tell how the new limits set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture will affect the state.

"We're not sure how USDA is going to enforce this," said state Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Janelle Saneishi. Any increased layers of inspection are a big concern for people shipping flowers, plants and fruits that rely on freshness.

Federal officials said the moth destroys, stunts or deforms young seedlings, spoils the appearance of ornamental plants, and injures fruit-tree crops, citrus and grapes.

Last month, Wine Business Online reported the moth is a major pest to wine grapes in Australia and said it "is believed to have been brought into California on infected plant material by private passengers on airlines."

The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued the order yesterday to try to prevent the spread of the moth also known as Epiphyas postvittana.

The quarantine also affects eight counties in California where the moth has been detected.

State agricultural officials and growers, still learning of the quarantine yesterday afternoon, could not say how big the impact would be and whether it would delay shipments of fresh flowers and plants.

"We are notifying local nurseries about the quarantine order and the increased inspection requirements," said Sandra Lee Kunimoto, who chairs the Hawai'i Board of Agriculture. "We are also trying to coordinate with the local USDA inspection offices on how the quarantine order will be enforced."

She said the order includes nursery stock, cut flowers, flower lei, fruits, vegetables, greenery, greenwaste and hay.

IMPACT STILL UNCLEAR

Hawai'i's flower and nursery industry had grown to a $100.6 million business as of 2005, according to USDA statistics.

Eric Tanouye of Hilo-based Greenpoint Nurseries Inc., which specializes in shipping anthuriums and other tropical flowers and plants, said he had only just received an alert about the new restrictions and was cautiously optimistic after talking briefly with local USDA officials.

"We're always concerned with invasive pests," Tanouye said, and have been operating under quarantine-like restrictions for decades.

Tanouye hopes that the new order will not slow exports. "We just have to keep doing a good job and not spread these pests to the Mainland," he said.

Saneishi, from the state agriculture department, said it's not clear whether the new federal order will apply to fresh island products treated in other ways, through heat or irradiation, to deal with fruit flies and other pests.

It's also not clear whether some exporters — who now certify flowers and lei as pest-free themselves — will be able to continue in that manner or be required to have additional inspection.

The order's impact on the state's large fruit exporters is not certain.

"Pineapple is not a known host for the light brown apple moth, but should Hawai'i-grown pineapple be declared a regulated item, Maui Pineapple Company will comply," said Maui Pineapple's general manager, Gerry Watts.

The light brown apple moth is native to Australia and described as a major pest for apples, pears, grapes, cherries, citrus and peaches, plums, nectarines and apricots. The order also affects Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Francisco and San Mateo counties in California.

Although the moth has been in Hawai'i since 1896 and has been reported on all islands, it has not been a significant pest here.

BUG NO PROBLEM HERE

Saneishi said the moth actually has helped to control plant pests such as the invasive weeds gorse and blackberry in Hawai'i.

The moth also is found in New Zealand, Tanzania, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Federal officials said Hawai'i was included in the federal order because the moth is known to be established in the state but that no data exists on the exact distribution of the pest.

The order also requires survey trapping, nursery treatment applications and precautionary production practices be implemented within quarantine areas to mitigate the risk of infestation.

If surveys show areas moth-free, the order's impact on growers could be decreased, said Saneishi.

Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.