Incidence of the Two-Spotted Cotton Leafhopper (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) Infesting Hibiscus syriacus in Ornamentals
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Site
2.2. Occurrence of A. biguttula on H. syiacus
2.3. Leaf Assessment for A. biguttula Movement to Adjacent Plant Species
2.4. Yellow Sticky Card Assessment
2.5. Feeding Damage
2.6. Statistical Analyses
3. Results
3.1. Occurrence and Influence of H. syiacus Cultivar on A. biguttula
3.2. Amrasca biguttula Movement to Adjacent Plant Species
3.3. Adult A. biguttula Captures on Yellows Sticky Cards
3.4. Leaf Feeding Damage Assessment on H. syriacus Cultivars
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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| Plant Species, Cultivar | Commercial Source of Liners | Plot Area (m2) | Number of Plants | Plant Height (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H. syriacus ‘Bali’ | First Editions® | 158.0 | 5092 | 68.6 |
| H. syriacus ‘Dark Lavender Chiffon’ | Proven Winners® | 111.5 | 3021 | 53.3 |
| Abelia | - | 1579.4 | 2000 | 30.5 |
| Vitex | - | 260.1 | 3000 | 76.2 |
| Rose | - | 12,541.9 | 800 | 68.6 |
| Appli. Date * | Trade Name | Active Ingredient (a.i.) | % a.i. | Appl. Rate per L | Manufacturer/City, Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 October 2025 | Merit® 2F | Imidacloprid | 21 | 0.12 mL | Bayer Environmental Science, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA |
| 14 October 2025 | Ultra-Pure® Oil | Mineral oil | 98 | 1% v/v | BASF Corporation, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA |
| 24 October 2025 | Avalon® | Bifenthrin | 7.9 | 0.16 mL | PROKOZ Inc., Alpharetta, GA, USA |
| 24 October 2025 | Talus® 70DF | Buprofezin | 70 | 0.094 g | SePRO Corporation, Carmel, IN, USA |
| 24 October 2025 | Acephate | Acephate | 97 | 1.2 g | AMVAC Chemical Corporation, Newport Beach, CA, USA |
| A. biguttula Stage or Exuviae/Treatment | F | df | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nymphs | |||
| Cultivar | 11.7 | 1,45 | 0.001 |
| Canopy | 0.3 | 2,45 | 0.736 |
| Cultivar × Canopy | 0.3 | 2,45 | 0.736 |
| Adults | |||
| Cultivar | 0.5 | 1,45 | 0.507 |
| Canopy | 0.2 | 2,45 | 0.795 |
| Cultivar × Canopy | 0.3 | 2,45 | 0.774 |
| Nymphs + Adults | |||
| Cultivar | 14.5 | 1,45 | <0.001 |
| Canopy | 0.6 | 2,45 | 0.582 |
| Cultivar × Canopy | 0.3 | 2,45 | 0.748 |
| Exuviae | |||
| Cultivar | 30.7 | 1,45 | <0.001 |
| Canopy | 2.8 | 2,45 | 0.070 |
| Cultivar × Canopy | 1.6 | 2,45 | 0.212 |
| Cultivar/Treatment | F | df | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| ‘Bali’ H. syriacus with abelia and vitex | |||
| Nymphs | 15.7 | 2,18 | <0.001 |
| Adults | 1.3 | 2,18 | 0.299 |
| Nymphs + Adults | 19.6 | 2,18 | <0.001 |
| Exuviae | 39.9 | 2,18 | <0.001 |
| ‘Dark Lavender Chiffon’ H. syriacus with rose | |||
| Nymphs | 0.0 | 1,9 | 1.000 |
| Adults | 0.0 | 1,9 | 1.000 |
| Nymphs + Adults | 0.0 | 1,9 | 1.000 |
| Exuviae | 0.7 | 1,9 | 0.437 |
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Attia, S.; Joseph, S.V. Incidence of the Two-Spotted Cotton Leafhopper (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) Infesting Hibiscus syriacus in Ornamentals. Agronomy 2026, 16, 32. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16010032
Attia S, Joseph SV. Incidence of the Two-Spotted Cotton Leafhopper (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) Infesting Hibiscus syriacus in Ornamentals. Agronomy. 2026; 16(1):32. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16010032
Chicago/Turabian StyleAttia, Sabrine, and Shimat V. Joseph. 2026. "Incidence of the Two-Spotted Cotton Leafhopper (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) Infesting Hibiscus syriacus in Ornamentals" Agronomy 16, no. 1: 32. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16010032
APA StyleAttia, S., & Joseph, S. V. (2026). Incidence of the Two-Spotted Cotton Leafhopper (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) Infesting Hibiscus syriacus in Ornamentals. Agronomy, 16(1), 32. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16010032

