Location: Sugarbeet Research
Project Number: 3060-21000-045-044-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 1, 2026
End Date: Jul 31, 2027
Objective:
Identify and compare VOC profiles of susceptible and resistant sugar beet genotypes and key alternative host plants. Hypothesis: Susceptible and resistant sugar beet genotypes, as well as alternative host plants, produce distinct VOC profiles that differ in composition, abundance, and temporal dynamics, and these differences are associated with beet leafhopper preference.
Approach:
Two sugar beet genotypes will be used: EL10 (resistant) and FC709-2 (susceptible), consistent with preliminary studies (Figures 1–3; Table 1). Key alternative host plants, such as Kochia and Hemp, relevant to beet leafhopper ecology will also be included. After germination in the laboratory, plants will be transferred to 5-inch pots containing Pro-Mix HP and maintained in plastic tents (60 x 60 x 90 cm, Ecology Supplies, Cranbury, NJ, USA) in a greenhouse at 28 during the day, 21 during the night, and a 16:8 light: dark cycle. Plants will be watered ad libitum and fertilized every other week with 20-20-20 NPK fertilizer. Plants will be grown to the 3-4 true leaf stage.