Researchers across the Cotton Belt have spent the past year evaluating management strategies after cotton jassid was first confirmed in the southeastern United States. During a recent interview with Southeast AgNet, Corteva Technical Field Agronomist Jared Walls discussed the work being done alongside university researchers and highlighted one product that has shown promising results in field trials.
Walls credited university Extension entomologists across the region for quickly establishing research trials to evaluate potential management options for the invasive pest.
“As soon as the jassid was reported, our great Extension entomology teams across all the states did a great job putting in trials to determine different management strategies for this pest,” Walls said. “We worked closely with them and other third-party researchers to evaluate products we have on the market today, as well as products that are still in the pipeline.”
According to Walls, several insecticides have demonstrated good activity against cotton jassid, including Corteva’s Transform insecticide.
“The good news is there’s a lot they found,” he said. “There’s several products that have good activity on this pest, and one of those is Transform insecticide that we have on the market today.”
Walls noted that growers should consider the overall insect complex in their fields when selecting a treatment. In addition to controlling cotton jassid, Transform has a long history of managing plant bugs and aphids while being less disruptive to beneficial insect populations.
“We know from years of experience that Transform is an excellent choice for plant bug and aphid control,” Walls said. “This product is very soft on beneficial populations and helps preserve those.”
He added that growers should evaluate crop growth stage and the presence of other pests when making treatment decisions to maximize both efficacy and stewardship.
Walls also noted that Transform is now available for cotton jassid control under a Section 2(ee) recommendation across cotton-producing states, providing producers with another management tool as they respond to this emerging pest.