Cooperative Agreement AP26PPQST00C043

THE PURPOSE OF THIS AGREEMENT IS TO GENERATE DATA THAT SUPPORTS A NEW POST-HARVEST PHYTOSANITARY IRRADIATION TREATMENT FOR TWO-SPOT COTTON LEAFHOPPER, A DESTRUCTIVE AND INVASIVE PEST OF MANY AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES, PARTICULARLY OKRA, EGGPLANT, AND COTTON. ADULT TWO-SPOT COTTON LEAFHOPPERS CAN DEPOSIT EGGS INTO OKRA FRUIT, WHICH INTRODUCES A RISK FOR DISPERSAL FROM ITS CURRENT RANGE TO KEY COTTON GROWING REGIONS IN THE UNITED STATES. DEVELOPING A NEW TREATMENT OPTION WILL IMPROVE PLANT PROTECTION AND QUARANTINE'S ABILITY TO LIMIT TWO-SPOT COTTON LEAFHOPPER SPREAD AND PROTECT AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES WITHIN THE UNITED STATES. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: ALL WORK WILL BE CONDUCTED WITHIN A SECURE QUARANTINE FACILITY AT THE FOREST PEST METHODS LABORATORY IN BUZZARDS BAY, MA, AND USING A LABORATORY TWO-SPOT COTTON LEAFHOPPER COLONY. INITIAL TESTING WILL FOCUS ON IDENTIFYING AN IRRADIATION TREATMENT DOSE THAT KILLS 99.9968% OF INDIVIDUALS, A STANDARD MEASURE FOR ESTABLISHING QUARANTINE SECURITY. FOR EACH LIFE STAGE OF THE TWO-SPOT COTTON LEAFHOPPER (EGGS, NYMPHS, AND ADULTS), 1000 INDIVIDUALS WILL BE EXPOSED TO ONE OF FIVE IRRADIATION DOSES RANGING FROM 0 TO 400 GY (200 INDIVIDUALS TESTED PER TREATMENT DOSE). AFTER IRRADIATION TREATMENT, INDIVIDUAL INSECTS WILL BE HELD AND MONITORED FOR (1) SURVIVAL TO ADULT EMERGENCE AND (2) PRODUCTION OF EGGS, WHICH WILL INDICATE IF THE TREATMENT HAD A STERILIZING EFFECT. DOSE RESPONSE CURVES WILL BE USED TO DETERMINE THE IRRADIATION DOSE THAT CAUSES 99.9968% MORTALITY AND STERILITY FOR EACH LIFE STAGE. FOR THE MOST RADIO-TOLERANT LIFE STAGE, ADDITIONAL TESTING WILL BE PERFORMED TO VALIDATE THE MINIMUM IRRADIATION TREATMENT DOSE THAT PROVIDES QUARANTINE SECURITY. A MINIMUM OF 10,000 INDIVIDUALS FROM THE LABORATORY COLONY WILL BE EXPOSED TO THE CANDIDATE TREATMENT DOSE, AND INSECTS WILL AGAIN BE MONITORED FOR SURVIVAL. DELIVERABLES AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES: DATA THAT IDENTIFIES THE MINIMUM IRRADIATION TREATMENT DOSE NEEDED TO KILL 99.9968% OF TSCL INDIVIDUALS. LARGE-SCALE VALIDATION DATASET TO CONFIRM THAT THE IDENTIFIED IRRADIATION TREATMENT DOSE WILL PROVIDE ACCEPTABLE QUARANTINE SECURITY LEVELS. THESE DATA WILL SUPPORT THE ADDITION OF A NEW TREATMENT SCHEDULE FOR TWO-SPOT COTTON LEAFHOPPER TO THE USDA TREATMENT MANUAL. INTENDED BENEFICIARY(IES): FLORIDA OKRA PRODUCERS AND EXPORTERS: IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, WHERE TWO-SPOT COTTON LEAFHOPPER PRESSURE IS HIGH, OKRA (ABELMOSCHUS ESCULENTUS) IS A PREFERRED HOST PLANT FOR TSCL. OKRA IS AN IMPORTANT CROP COMMODITY FOR THE REGION; IT IS GROWN ON AN ESTIMATED 1,000 - 1,500 ACRES ACROSS MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, AND FRESH PODS ARE SOLD NATIONWIDE. IF QUARANTINE RESTRICTIONS FOR TWO-SPOT COTTON LEAFHOPPER ARE IMPLEMENTED IN FLORIDA, HAVING DATA-SUPPORTED PHYTOSANITARY TREATMENTS WILL BE CRITICAL FOR ENSURING THAT THIS MARKET REMAINS OPEN BOTH DOMESTICALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY. COTTON PRODUCERS: TWO-SPOT COTTON LEAFHOPPER IS A DEVASTATING PEST OF MULTIPLE CROPS, INCLUDING COTTON. PREVENTING ITS SPREAD WILL BENEFIT COTTON PRODUCERS WHO OPERATE OUTSIDE OF ITS CURRENT RANGE. FOR EXAMPLE, MORE THAN 150,000 ACRES IN COTTON ARE PLANTED ANNUALLY IN CALIFORNIA, A STATE THAT DOES NOT CURRENTLY HAVE TWO-SPOT COTTON LEAFHOPPER.