Lycorma delicatula (hemiptera: fulgoridae), the spotted lanternfly (SLF), is a SAP-feeding planthopper that was first detected in eastern pennsylvania in 2014

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded The Pennsylvania State University $5.633 million on July 1, 2026, under the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (CFDA 10.309) to assess and manage spotted lanternfly impacts on grape production and quality.

The award funds field experiments with caged grapevines and vineyard studies to evaluate how spotted lanternfly feeding affects the health, fruit quality, wine quality, and juice quality of economically important grape species. The recipient will conduct vineyard surveys to determine whether spotted lanternfly presence changes the prevalence of common grapevine diseases or exacerbates damage from those diseases. The work includes experiments in vineyards and surrounding areas to identify the most effective and reliable monitoring tools and treatment methods for protecting grapevine health and preventing spotted lanternfly contamination of harvested grapes and downstream grape products. Penn State will disseminate new and revised monitoring and management tools and recommendations through traditional and contemporary outreach channels, partnering with land-grant extension universities, USDA agencies, regional IPM centers, the National Grape and Wine Initiative, and stakeholder groups to provide growers with integrated pest management tools deployable at multiple scales based on regional and market-specific needs.

The award period runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031. Performance takes place in State College, Pennsylvania.

Since that time, IT has expanded its range and as of 2025, has established populations in 19 states in the US. While IT feeds on over 100 species of plants and trees, one of its most highly preferred hosts is grapevine. SLF feeding can have numerous negative impacts on grapevines, and in the mid-atlantic where IT has been infesting vineyards the longest, IT is causing damage to grapevines, and significant economic loss to growers. We will conduct field experiments with caged grapevines and in vineyards to assess impacts of SLF feeding on the health, fruit, wine and juice quality of economically important grape species, and conduct vineyard surveys to determine if SLF presence changes the prevalence of, or exacerbates damage from common grapevine diseases. We will conduct experiments in vineyards and in areas surrounding vineyards to identify the most effective and reliable monitoring tools and treatment methods for protecting grapevine health and preventing SLF contamination of harvested grapes and downstream grape products. Based on our findings, the new and revised monitoring and management tools and recommendations that we develop will be disseminated to grape stakeholders and the public through a wide array of traditional and contemporary outreach channels through our partnering land grant extension universities, USDA agencies, regional IPM centers, and the ngra and its stakeholder groups. Our work will provide growers with a wide range of SLF integrated pest management (IPM) tools that can be employed at multiple scales in and around vineyards, based on regional and market specific needs. This will result in more effective SLF monitoring and management that will reduce number of broad-spectrum sprays applied and their associated costs, as well as reduce grapevine damage and SLF impacts to downstream grape products.