Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Shares Cotton Jassid Guidance
ADAM RUSSELL
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS
An invasive pest – the cotton jassid, also known as the two-spot cotton leafhopper – has prompted experts in the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Texas A&M Department of Entomology to mobilize monitoring efforts, assess potential impacts and prepare strategies to protect the future of Texas cotton production.
David Kerns, Ph.D., professor and AgriLife Extension entomologist in the Department of Entomology, said the pest does not appear to be a threat to cotton production this season, but there is concern it could overwinter in South Texas and threaten future cotton crops.
Kerns said his team is in close communication with experts in other states, the Texas Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to relay information as they continue to assess the pest’s potential for establishment in Texas.
“We are monitoring multiple crops for cotton jassid and addressing infestations when and where we find them,” Kerns said.
To help prepare cotton producers for the threat, AgriLife Extension has published a new cotton jassid fact sheet to help with identification and provide background and biological information about the pest.
Cotton jassid found in retail nursery plants
The invasive pest has been detected on hibiscus plants in retail nurseries in Bellmead, McAllen, Weslaco, Harlingen, Victoria, Rosenberg, San Antonio, Cedar Park, College Station, Waco, Longview, Corpus Christi and El Paso. Kerns said experts suspect cotton jassid were found in a single cotton field in Fort Bend County, but the collected specimen confirmation is pending.
Officials believe infested hibiscus plants were shipped from South Florida to locations across the southern U.S. The Texas Department of Agriculture is taking steps to find and eliminate the source, and USDA-APHIS is investigating the situation.
Kerns said Extension experts in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama have reported infestations in cotton fields and are coordinating monitoring and response activities.
If cotton jassid establishes
AgriLife Extension integrated pest management specialists will continue to monitor locations that could harbor jassid populations, Kerns said.
“We’re definitely staying on top of this, but we really won’t have a solid assessment of whether jassid populations successfully overwintered until spring,” he said.
The cotton jassid’s native range spans from Indonesia and Japan to Iran. While the impact of the pest on U.S. cotton production is unknown, Kerns said the pest has reportedly caused up to 50% yield losses in cotton in India and is extremely difficult to control. Plants are damaged by the saliva they inject during feeding. The saliva contains toxins that damage plants, and heavy infestations can kill plants.
Texas leads the nation in cotton production, representing 40% of U.S. output and more than $2.4 billion in annual value.
Kerns said AgriLife Extension and Department of Entomology experts will continue working with partnering agencies and industry organizations to develop and circulate monitoring and response recommendations for cotton producers.
“Right now, this is about awareness and monitoring,” he said. “We want our producers to know we are actively working on ways to mitigate this pest’s impact should it establish in our state.” ∆
ADAM RUSSELL
TEXAS AGRI LIFE