Cotton leafroll dwarf virus (CLRDV) was an emerging virus in cotton production in Georgia and several other Southeastern states in the USA. Near-complete genome sequences of six isolates from Georgia and one from Alabama were determined to understand the genetic diversity of the virus population. The isolates sequenced were 5,866 nucleotides with seven open reading frames (ORFs). CLRDV was also detected from 23 weed species belonging to 16 different botanical families. Overwintering cotton stalks and regrowth leaves both harbored CLRDV and act as a potential green bridge for the year-round survival of CLRDV. Symptomatic plants with more advanced disease stages remained stunted throughout the growing season, and CLRDD reduced yield due to reductions in boll number per plant and declines in boll mass resulting from fewer seeds per boll. With the lack of any host-plant resistance, an attempt was made to determine the efficacy of commercially available insecticide on aphids vectors. Preliminary results suggest that the available formulations can reduce the aphids population in the test plots but not enough to prevent the spreading of the virus. Since the first detection of the virus in 2018 in GA and the southeast US, any significant yield loss is not being reported.
