TSU Nursery Research Center

08/26/2026

Please join the Tennessee State University Nursery Research Center in congratulating Dr. Jason Oliver for being recognized by the National Plant Board for his significant contributions to regulatory plant protection. His work on imported fire ants, Japanese beetle, and emerald ash borer have had an impact far beyond the state of Tennessee. Thank you, Dr. Oliver, for your hard work and dedication to the nursery industry.

08/15/2026

08/14/2026

Please join us for a webinar on Two-spot Cotton Leafhopper on Sept. 14th at 12pm CST!

Webinar link in comments

08/06/2026

The newly updated Farming Fundamentals program is a self-paced, online educational course that provides beginning and aspiring farmers with practical, resea ...

08/03/2026

Summer intern spotlight (6 of 6):

Leslie Tidwell, Wildlife and Fishery Science senior at TN Tech Univ., conducted a roadside wildflower survey this summer across 5 counties in middle TN.

Her research focused on monitoring for two-spot cotton leafhopper (TSCL) in the native landscape.

TSCL is a newly invasive agricultural pest impacting cotton, okra, eggplant, hibiscus, and sunflowers in the southeastern US, and there is concern TSCL can also feed and disperse across the landscape on native wildflowers.

While two-spot cotton leafhopper has been detected on imported tropical hibiscus in retail centers, it has not established in native Tennessee landscape at this time.

07/31/2026

Summer intern spotlight (5 of 6):

William Presley, a freshman in TN Tech’s Chemical Engineering department, spent 10 weeks working in the Addesso lab.

William’s project focused on tracking the changes in volatile compounds from red maples following a mechanical injury technique to induce flatheaded appletree borer attacks.

Presley identified the compounds the trees released following injury and measured those changes over time with the goal of identifying which compounds are responsible for attracting the borer to damaged trees.

This information can help identify susceptible trees by their odor.

07/29/2026

Summer intern spotlight (4 of 6):

Sidra Levenhagen, Biology freshman at MTSU, spent 8 weeks working in the Addesso lab.

Sidra’s project focused on a retail garden survey looking for two-spot cotton leafhopper (TSCL), a new invasive insect first reported in Florida in 2024.

TSCL feeds on plants in the Malvaceae family, including cotton, okra and hibiscus.

Since the leafhoppers lay eggs inside the leaf tissue, plants can appear free of pests prior to shipment. Once arriving at a retail center, eggs hatch and the insects become visible.

Sidra visited local retail stores to scout for TSCL and collect damaged leaves. This work helped monitor material entering the TN nursery production region for the invasive TSCL.

Sidra’s internship was funded by a USDA NextGen workforce development grant program led by Tennessee State University.

07/27/2026

Summer intern spotlight (3 of 6):

Brodis Hall, senior in Environmental Science at TSU, spent 8 weeks working in the Addesso lab.

Brodis’s project focused on monitoring emergence and flight activity of wasps parasitizing the invasive Japanese maple scale (JMS).

These microscopic wasps lay eggs under the scale covering and after hatching, the wasp larva feeds on the JMS, thereby naturally controlling JMS.

This research will help provide more precise pesticide timings so growers can preserve this free workforce.

Brodis’ internship was funded by a USDA NextGen workforce development grant program led by TSU.

07/24/2026

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07/24/2026

Summer intern spotlight (2 of 6):

Aspen Northcutt, an Environmental Science undergrad at MTSU, studied flatheaded borer lures this summer.

She also collaborated with the entomology lab on research activities including evaluating how head size of imported fire ants affects parasitizing flies.