PERRY, Ga. — Blake Bledsoe has been farming for nearly 30 years. However, this cotton season, he and his team at the Minerva Plantation Farms in Perry are dealing with something unlike anything he's ever seen.

"It is gonna be probably an economic disaster and probably a quality issue," Bledsoe said.

Bledsoe's farm is part of the 300,000 acres of cotton crops across the state being treated for the Cotton Jassid.

The pest is small and green with black dots, and feeds on cotton crops, causing them to become malformed and turning leaves yellow, red or brown.

It can also affect backyard gardens, hitting plants like okra, sunflowers, cucumbers, tomatoes and several other common home crops.

The bug was first detected in Georgia in July.

Paul Brown, a crop advisor, said the bug reproduces

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