Location: Southern Insect Management Research
Project Number: 6066-30400-002-008-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 24, 2026
End Date: May 23, 2029
Objective:
This project is organized around three integrated objectives that together generate the first lineage specific biological and management dataset for Amrasca biguttula in the United States.
Objective 1: Determine overwintering potential and cold tolerance thresholds of Hap01 under realistic southeastern U.S. winter conditions.
Objective 2: Identify reproductive hosts, incidental hosts, and reservoir species that sustain Hap01 populations across seasons.
Objective 3: Quantify insecticide efficacy and resistance risk for Hap01 across diverse production environments.
Approach:
A coordinated, multi site experimental structure will be used to reflect the cross sector nature of TSCL impacts. Live adults and nymphs will be collected from confirmed populations across the region and maintained in controlled environment rearing cages. Colonies will be refreshed regularly with field collected adults to prevent laboratory adaptation. Mitochondrial haplotypes will be confirmed using COI sequencing following Ahmed et al. (2026), ensuring that all experiments use the invasive Hap01 lineage.
Objective 1 will quantify overwintering biology using controlled temperature assays that expose eggs, nymphs, and adults to constant temperatures representative of southeastern winter conditions, including 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 °C, as well as fluctuating regimes that mimic natural diurnal cycles. Freezing controls at –2 °C and –5 °C will establish lethal thresholds. Individuals will be assessed for survival following exposure and recovery, and supercooling points will be determined using fine thermocouples. Field validation will involve placing potted host plants in sheltered winter environments, where natural temperature fluctuations can be monitored using HOBO loggers.
Objective 2 will resolve host selection and reservoir dynamics through statewide surveys conducted across agricultural, ornamental, nursery, and unmanaged landscapes using standardized transect based sampling. Sweep net and aspirator collections will quantify adult and nymph abundance, and hopperburn severity will be recorded using a standardized scale. GPS linked population mapping will document spatial distribution. Molecular diagnostics will confirm haplotype identity for all populations. Greenhouse assays will evaluate host suitability using no choice, choice, and performance trials, measuring settling behavior, oviposition, nymphal survival, and hopperburn progression.
Objective 3 will quantify insecticide efficacy using greenhouse assays that screen major chemical classes through residual, systemic, and direct contact exposure methods. Field and nursery trials will validate promising chemistries under real world conditions, with applications made using calibrated equipment and injury assessed using standardized metrics. Reinfestation dynamics will be monitored to evaluate residual activity.
These research findings will support scientists and pest management professionals in developing more effective and sustainable insect pest management programs and strengthen tools for cotton jassid management. This research supports the Secretary of Agriculture’s priority of protecting the integrity of American agriculture from invasive species such as two spot cotton leafhopper and by improving pest control strategies that enhance the profitability and resilience of farmers and stakeholders.