State officials in Washington are considering adding certain potted plants to the list of commodities affected by the apple maggot quarantine. The Yakima-based Washington State Tree Fruit Association has asked the state Department of Agriculture, which quarantines certain commodities to prevent the spread of the apple maggot pest to commercial orchards, to add the soil in potted host plants to the regulated list. Citing the Agriculture Department findings, the association suspects that apple maggots may pupate in soils of potted nursery trees, which could then spread the pest to areas it has not already infested, which includes most of the […]