The University of Georgia Cotton Team will be keeping an eye out this upcoming season for cotton jassid or two-spot cotton leaf hopper, which was spotted in several counties in Florida last year.
Phillip Roberts, a UGA Extension cotton entomologist, spoke about the cotton jassid at a recent Georgia Cotton Commission meeting, according to Southeast AgNet.
“Any time we have a new pest, an invasive pest, we’re going to take it seriously. We’re looking for it, and we’ll be actively looking for it,” Roberts said. “If we do find it in Georgia, we’ll do what we need to do. What I tell folks, first we’ll see how we can control it and second thing, we’ll understand if we need to control it; and the third thing is when to control it.”
Like similar leafhoppers, the cotton jassid feeds on the lower surface or leaves, causing yellowing, reddening, then browning of leaves – a syndrome called “hopperburn.” The plant damage is seen before the insects themselves.
In addition to cotton, the pest damages okra, eggplant and sunflowers, but peanut and soybean also can be hosts, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture, which issued a pest alert for the cotton jassid in December.
“I just want to encourage folks in South Georgia if they suspect this, meet up with a county agent so we can come and try to confirm and hopefully not find it,” Roberts said.