Texas Cotton Farmers Prepare for ‘Curveball’ as Pest Invasion Threatens Future

Texas cotton farmers prepare for ‘curveball’ as pest invasion threatens future

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service shares cotton jassid guidance

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…

Texas cotton farmers prepare for 'curveball' as pest invasion threatens future

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Jon Whatley is a 4th-generation farmer in South Texas. His great-grandfather moved the family down from Tennessee to Odem, just north of Corpus Christi, to grow corn, sorghum and cotton. The cotton jassid or two-spotted leaf hopper entered Texas by hitching a ride on a hibiscus plant. (Credit: USDA) "The cotton crop was excellent. Actually, one of our better cotton crops I've had in the last five years," Jon said. Next year, he…