A new insect pest “two-spotted cotton leafhopper” (widely known as “cotton jassid”) was detected recently in Georgia. Cotton jassids are a serious pest of cotton and several other important crops such as okra, eggplant and sunflower. This is a native insect to the the Indian Subcontinent, east to Japan and Micronesia. This insect was first reported in the western hemisphere in Puerto Rico in 2023. Florida reported cotton jassids earlier this year and UGA Extension detected this insect for the first time in Georgia in Seminole County on July 09, 2025. Like many other county agents, growers and crop consultants in the state, I was on a lookout for this insect pest for last several weeks. I have found this insect in one of the cotton fields in the county and was able to report it’s prevalence in our county on August 07, 2025. This pest is now reported in more than 40 counties in Georgia.
Cotton jassids are tiny green leafhoppers. They can be identified by the the two dark spots in their wings – one dark spot on each wing. They feed on lower surface of leaves and cause a typical hopper burn damage symptoms – yellowing, reddening and than browning of leaves. Puckering and crinkling of leaves are also observed. The border plants, field edges and skippy rows appear to have higher populations of this pest. Adult females of this insect lay eggs into plant tissues such as tender petioles, twigs & succulent leaves. The eggs hatch into nymphs in 3 -4 days. Adults live for a few weeks. It takes about two weeks for cotton jassids to complete a generation. The insect populations increase significantly in short time.
It is very important to keep scouting cotton fields for this pest regularly. UGA Extension recommends growers and consultants to count jassid nymphs on the third, fourth & fifth leaf below the terminal. They are more commonly on the underside of the fourth leaf. An insect control program is recommended if there are two nymphs per leaf along with the presence of damage symptoms. Insecticide application could also be warranted when the insect and early symptoms are observed in inner portion of the field. UGA Extension specialists and county agents are carrying out laboratory assays and multi-location field experiments to assess the efficacy of commonly used insecticides. The preliminary data from these research trials have shown some promising results. Please contact your county extension agent as soon as possible if you have observed this pest in your fields or if you would like to learn more about this pest and the potential control strategies. The emergence of this insect in Georgia is an evolving situation that we are monitoring closely. I encourage growers and crop consultants to stay updated from UGA Extension with the new developments regarding this pest.
