SAES-422 Multistate Research Activity Accomplishments Report

Sections

Status: Approved

Basic Information

Participants

Creamer, Rebecca (creamer@nmsu.edu) - New Mexico State University, Entomology, Plant Pathology and Weed Science Tiffany McKay-Williams (tiffany.williams@kws.com) - KWS, Boise, ID Thomas Koeps (Thomas.koeps@kws.com) – KWS, Boise, ID Oliver Neher (oneher@amalsugar.com) – Amalgamated Sugar, Boise, ID Jake Hennessey (jhennessey@amalsugar.com) – Amalgamated Sugar, Boise, ID Kylie Swisher (kylie.swisher@ars.usda.gov) USDA-ARS, Wapato, WA Gina Angelella (gina.angelella@usda.gov) USDA-ARS, Wapato, WA Stacey Pettit (Stacey.pettit@usda.gov) USDA-ARS, Wapato, WA Raj Majumdar (raj.majumdar@usda.gov) USDA-ARS Kimberly, ID Evan Long (evan.long@usda.gov) USDA-ARS, Kimberly, ID Nina Dropcho (ndropcho@nmsu.edu) New Mexico State University Kendra Tapia (kendra.tapia@cdfa.ca.gov) California Curly Top Control, CDFA, Fresno, CA Cynthia Ocamb (Cynthia.ocamb@oregonstate.edu) Oregon State University Erik Wenninger (erikw@uidaho.edu) University of Idaho Camille Wagstaff (Camille.wagstaff@wsu.edu) Washington State University Jinlong Han (jinlong.han@colostate.edu) Colorado State University Jacob Pitt (William.pitt@wsu.edu) Washington State University Carrie Wohleb (cwohleb@wsu.edu) Washington State University Silvia Rondon (silvia.rondon@oregonstate.edu) Oregon State University Cynthia Ocamb (ocambc@oregonstate.edu) – Oregon State University Zach McCormack (Zachary.mccormack@cdfa.ca.gov) California Dept Food and Ag

2025-WERA1007-draft-report_Nachappa.docx

Accomplishments

Project Objectives:

  1. Assess the current status of curly top and set priorities for integrated research on curly top disease.
  1. Characterization of curtovirus strains including virus genetic diversity, new virus strains and virus in new hosts.
  2. Organize research on the biology and ecology of the leafhopper, virus transmission, and the role of weed hosts in curly top in the western US.
  1. Organize research to improve virus and vector management.
  1. Provide a national platform for education on curly top disease, virus/insect/plant ecology and management, collaboration among scientists involved in these activities, and extension of research-based information for producers.

 

Objective 1: Assess the current status of curly top and set priorities for integrated research on curly top disease.

The current status of curly top disease was assessed across all participating states during the annual meeting. Discussions also led to the establishment of research priorities based on regional disease pressures and knowledge gaps. This process ensured coordination and alignment of integrated research efforts among collaborators.

Objective 2: Characterization of curtovirus strains including virus genetic diversity, new virus strains, and virus in new hosts.

Progress was made in characterizing Curtovirus strains through individual research programs (See collaborative publication by the group). Studies focused on understanding virus genetic diversity, identifying emerging strains, and detecting viruses in previously unreported host plants, contributing to a more complete picture of curly top epidemiology.

Objective 3: Organize research on the biology and ecology of the leafhopper, virus transmission, and the role of weed hosts in curly top in the western US.

Research was conducted on the biology and ecology of the beet leafhopper vector, virus transmission mechanisms, and the role of weed hosts in sustaining and spreading the virus (See publications by the group). These studies improved understanding of key factors driving curly top disease dynamics in the western U.S.

Objective 4: Organize research to improve virus and vector management.

Efforts to improve virus and vector management were carried out through both basic and applied research initiatives. Findings from vector ecology and virus transmission studies informed development of more targeted and integrated disease management strategies.

Objective 5: Provide a national platform for education on curly top disease, virus/insect/plant ecology and management, collaboration among scientists involved in these activities, and extension of research-based information for producers.

A national platform was strengthened through collaborative activities, including a multi-author publication (led by Punya Nachappa) accepted with major revisions in Phytopathology. Additional outreach included Silvia Rondon’s development of IPMSPs for hemp in Oregon and the launch of an IPM-focused extension website by the Nachappa lab: https://www.csuhempentomology.com/extension.html. These efforts supported producer education and fostered scientific collaboration across states and disciplines.

 

 

Impacts

  1. Through coordinated efforts among project members, significant progress was made across all five objectives. Annual meetings served as a platform for goal setting and knowledge sharing, promoting alignment and accountability across the group. As documented in the annual meeting report, the status of curly top disease across participating states was reviewed, and research priorities were established. Individual research programs contributed to advances in key areas, including curtovirus strain identification, detection of viruses in new hosts, the biology and ecology of the beet leafhopper, virus transmission dynamics, and the role of weed hosts in disease spread. Collaborative research efforts—particularly on curly top disease—strengthened multi-institutional partnerships, expanding both the scope and impact of the work. A major collaborative milestone was the publication of a joint research paper led by Punya Nachappa, which has been accepted with major revisions in the journal of Phytopathology. In addition, members such as Silvia Rondon are developing Integrated Pest Management Strategic Plans (IPMSPs) for hemp in Oregon, while the Nachappa lab launched a comprehensive website that curates current information on hemp IPM: https://www.csuhempentomology.com/extension.html. Collectively, these efforts have enhanced regional research capacity, supported the development of practical disease management strategies, and provided critical resources for growers—ultimately contributing to the sustainability and resilience of agricultural systems in the western U.S.

Publications

The group published a collaborative paper led by Punya Nachappa, which has been accepted with major revisions in the journal of Phytopathology-

 

Jinlong Han1, Jacob MacWilliams1, Max Schmidtbauer1, Raiyaa Huntress1, Maria Paula Mejia Alonzo1, Laine Hackenberg2, Jordan Withycombe3, Tyler J. Lovato1, Camille Wagstaff4, David W. Crowder4, Rebecca Creamer5, Houston Wilson6, Kadie Britt1, Govinda Shrestha7, Kenneth Frost8, Hannah Rivedal9, Cynthia Ocamb10 and Punya Nachappa1. Beet curly top virus genetic diversity, impact on cannabinoids, seed transmission, and vector biology in hemp, Cannabis sativa. Phytopathology (Major revisions)

 

Majumdar, R., Strausbaugh, C.A., Wenninger, E.J. 2025. Foliar and seed treatment products for the control of beet curly top in Idaho sugar beet, 2024. Plant Health Progress. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHP-02-25-0042-PDMR..

 

Strausbaugh, C.A., Wenninger, E.J., Jackson, L.K., Vincill, E.D. 2024. Wind-mediated dispersal of beet leafhoppers and pine pollen in southern Idaho. PhytoFrontiers. 4(4):498-503. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTOFR-06-24-0073-SC.

 

Han, J., Cui, M., Withycombe, J., Schmidtbauer, M., Chiginsky, J., Neher, O., Strausbaugh, C.A., Majumdar, R., Nalam, V., Nachappa, P. 2024. Beet curly top virus affects vector biology: The first transcriptome analysis of the beet leafhopper. Journal of General Virology. 105(7):1-15. https://doi.org/10.1099/jgv.0.002012.

 

Foutz, J.J., Wagstaff, C., Cooper, W.R., Swisher Grimm, K.D., Angelella, G., Wohleb, C.H., Waters, T.D., Oeller, L., Crowder, D. 2025. Weeding them out: identifying noncrop hosts and sources of infectious beet leafhopper, Neoaliturus tenellus (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in the Columbia River basin. Annals of the Entomological Society of America. saaf022, https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/saaf022

 

Withycombe, J. Han, J., MacWilliams, J., Dorn, K.M., Nalam, V.J., Nachappa, P. 2004. Transcriptic profiling reveals distinct responses to beet curly top virus (BCTV) infection in resistant and susceptible sugar beet genotypes. BMC Genomics 25:1237 doi.org/10.1186/s12864-024-11143-y

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