Francis Reay-Jones

Professor of Entomology & IPM Coordinator
Agronomic Crops Program Team, Plant and Environmental Sciences Department, PeeDee Research and Education Center

Office: 2200 Pocket Road, Florence, SC
Phone: 843-519-0480

Email: freayjo@clemson.edu

Educational Background

Ph.D. Entomology (minor in applied statistics)
Louisiana State University 2005

M.S. (year 2) Plant Technology
Universite d'Angers / Institut National d'Horticulture

M.S. (year 1) Population and Ecosystem Biology
Universite Bordeaux, France 2000

B.S. Biology
Universite Bordeaux, France 1999

Profile

As a Professor of Entomology, my research and extension programs focus on economically important insects in field crop agroecosystems. I also serve as IPM Coordinator where I oversee a statewide extension IPM program that aims to increase adoption of integrated pest management (IPM) practices. The main emphasis of my research and extension program is to improve insect pest management in field crop systems that (a) increases economic benefit for growers, and (b) promotes environmentally friendly tactics. Improved practices target major field crop industries in South Carolina (corn, grain sorghum, cotton, soybean, and tobacco).

Research Interests

In addition to addressing clientele needs by conducting research that can be rapidly implemented by growers (e.g., insecticide efficacy and timing, development of economic thresholds, evaluating varieties with resistance to insect pests), my research program also strives to address challenges that require a more long-term focus, such as understanding insect dispersal and crop colonization, determining how transgenic crops impact pest biology, or elucidating the feeding behavior of insect herbivores.

Extension and Outreach

My extension activities include delivering information to county extension agents, growers, and others involved in agriculture by giving presentations at meetings hosted by county extension agents, grower meetings organized by industry, experiment station field days and tours, certified crop advisor training sessions, crop pest scout schools, county extension agent training sessions, and state commodity meetings. I also update annually the Clemson University Pest Management Handbook with sections on corn, grain sorghum, and tobacco insects, in addition to writing several publications in Land-Grant Press (https://lgpress.clemson.edu/).

As IPM Coordinator, I oversee activities of the SC Extension IPM Program that is funded by a grant from the USDA NIFA Crop Protection and Pest Management Extension Implementation Program. This grant provides partial support to address stakeholder identified needs in Agronomic Crop IPM, Specialty Crop IPM, and Pollinator Health priority areas. The overarching goal of the program is to increase adoption of cost-effective and environmentally sound IPM practices, providing long-term solutions to critical pest management challenges. Coordinated extension programming aims to develop appropriate knowledge and competencies in producers and pest managers across the state, with the purpose of preventing excessive levels of pest damage, minimizing risks to the environment and to people, and reducing the evolution of resistance among target pests to pesticides.

Publications

Reay-Jones, F.P.F., G. D. Buntin, and D. D. Reisig. 2025. Interactive effects between yields of Bt and non-Bt corn and planting dates in the southeastern United States. Journal of Economic Entomology. In press.

Reay-Jones, F.P.F., G. Schnabel, T. Bryant, J. LaForest, R. Melanson, A. Acebes-Doria, amd B. Blauuw. 2025. MyIPM smartphone applications – tools to increase adoption of integrated pest management. Journal of Integrated Pest Management. In press.

Calixto, E. S., S.V. Paula-Moraes, D.D. Reisig, A.A. Santos, and F.P.F. Reay-Jones. 2024. Beyond wingbeats: dispersal capacity and morphophysiological determinants in Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 117(6): 309-318.

Reay-Jones, F.P.F., G. D. Buntin, D. D. Reisig, and W. C. Bridges, Jr. 2024. Longitudinal trials illustrate interactive effects between declining Bt efficacy against Helicoverpa zea and planting dates of corn. Journal of Economic Entomology. 117: 1901-1912.

Bryant, T., J. K. Greene, D.D. Reisig, and F.P.F. Reay-Jones. 2024. Continued decline in sublethal effects of Bt toxins on Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in field corn. Journal of Economic Entomology. 117: 1876-1883.

Silva, T., G. A. Sword, A. Miller, J. A. Qureshi, G. P. Head, D. D. Kerns, J. L. Jurat-Fuentes, J. Villegas, T. Towels, X. Ni, F.P.F. Reay-Jones, D. Carrillo, D. R. Cook, C. Daves, M. J. Stout, B. Thrash, S. Paula-Moraes, S. Lin, B. Patla, Y. Niu, C. I.R. Sakuno, and F. Huang. 2024. Reversibility of practical resistance to Bt crops: A case report on the resistance of fall armyworm to Cry1F maize in the southeastern United States. Journal of Pest Science. In press.

Bryant, T., J. K. Greene, and F.P.F. Reay-Jones. 2024. Competition between brown stink bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) and corn earworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in field corn. Environmental Entomology. 53(5) 860-869.

Paula-Moraes, S., E. Calixto, A. Santos, F.P.F. Reay-Jones, D. Reisig, Y. Farhan, J. Smith, and W. Hutchinson. 2024. Continental-scale migration patterns and origin of pest moths based on a biogeochemical marker. Environmental Entomology. 53(3): 487-497.

Levinson, J., D. Lamie, M. Vassalos, C. Eck, J.-H. Chong, F.P.F. Reay-Jones. 2024. An exploration of learning and teaching methods in agricultural extension. The Journal of Extension. 61(4):14.

Bryant, T., J. K. Greene, D. Reisig, and F.P.F. Reay-Jones. 2024. Grower perceptions and adoption of IPM and non-Bt refuge in field corn: a survey in North and South Carolina. Journal of Integrated Pest Management. 15(1): 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1093/jipm/pmad030.

Bryant, T., J. K. Greene, and F.P.F. Reay-Jones. 2023. Within-field spatial patterns of Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and spatial associations with stink bugs and their injury in field corn. Journal of Economic Entomology. 116: 1649-1661.

Greene, J.K., P.M. Roberts, and F.P.F. Reay-Jones. 2023. Residual control of stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) and leaffooted bug (Hemiptera: Coreidae) with selected insecticides in cotton. Journal of Agricultural and Urban Entomology. 39: 56-65.

Billman, E., T. Campbell, and F.P.F. Reay-Jones. 2023. Using perennial groundcover crops to suppress weeds and thrips in the southeast cotton belt. Crop Science. 63: 3037-3050.

Dively, G., T. Kuhar, S.V. Taylor, H. Doughty, K. Holmstrom, D.O. Gilrein, B.A. Nault, J. Ingerson-Mahar, A. Huseth, D. Reisig, S. Fleischer, D. Owens, K. Tilmon, F.P.F. Reay-Jones, P. Porter, J. Smith, J. Saquez, J. Wells, C. Congdon, H. Byker, B. Jensen, C. DiFonzo, W. Hutchison, E. Burkness, R. Wright, M. Crossley, H. Darby, T. Bilbo, N. Seiter, C. Krupke, C. Abel, B. Coates, B. McManus, B. Fuller, J. Bradshaw, J. Peterson, D. Buntin, S. Paula-Moraes, K. Kesheimer, W. Crow, J. Gore, F. Huang, D. Ludwick, A. Raudenbush, S. Ibarra Jimenez, Y. Carriere, T. Elkner, and K. Hamby. 2023. Extended sentinel monitoring of Helicoverpa zea resistance to Cry and Vip3Aa toxins in Bt sweet corn: Assessing changes in phenotypic and allele frequencies of resistance. Insects. 14: 577. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14070577.

Pezzini, D., D. Reisig, G.D. Buntin, A. Del Pozo-Valdivia, F. Gould, S. V. Paula-Moraes, and F.P.F Reay-Jones. 2023. Impact of seed blend and structured refuge on Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) resistance development parameters. Pest Management Science. 79: 3493-3503.

Bryant, T., J. K. Greene, and F.P.F. Reay-Jones. 2023. Within-field spatial patterns of Euschistus servus and Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in field corn. Environmental Entomology. 52: 709-721.

Rich, M., E. Noh, H. Wang, J. Greene, T. Gilligan, F.P.F Reay-Jones, M. Turnbull, and F. Zink. 2023. Field-based recombinase polymerase amplification and lab-based qPCR assays for detection of Helicoverpa armigera. Journal of Economic Entomology. 116: 973-982.

Reisig, D.D., G. D. Buntin, J. K. Greene, S. Paula-Moraes, F.P.F. Reay-Jones, P. Roberts, R. Smith, and S. V. Taylor. 2023. Magnitude and extent of Helicoverpa zea resistance levels to Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab2 across the southeastern USA. Insects. 14: 262. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14030262

Dillard, D., D. D. Reisig, and F.P.F. Reay-Jones. 2023. Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in-season and overwintering pupation response to soil type. Environmental Entomology. 52: 67-73.

Osariyekemwen, U., X. Ni, D. Buntin, A. Jacobson, F.P.F. Reay-Jones, S. Punnuri, and M.D. Toews. 2023. Management of Melanaphis sorghi (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in grain sorghum with early planting and in-furrow flupyradifurone. Crop Protection. 164: 106148.

Conzemius, S., F.P.F. Reay-Jones, J. K. Greene, B. T. Campbell, D. D. Reisig, H. Wang, and W. C. Bridges. 2023. Field screening of wild cotton, Gossypium hirsutum, landraces for resistance to thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Crop Protection. 163: 106113.

Osariyekemwen, U., F.P.F. Reay-Jones, X. Ni, D. Buntin, A. Jacobson, S. Punnuri, and M.D. Toews. 2022. Impact of planting date and insecticide application methods on Melanaphis sorghi (Hemiptera: Aphididae) infestation and forage type sorghum yield. Insects. 13: 1038. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13111038.

Osariyekemwen, U., S. Lahiri, X. Ni, D. Buntin, A. Jacobson, F.P.F. Reay-Jones, S. Punnuri, A.S. Huseth, and M.D. Toews. 2022. Host plant resistance, foliar insecticide application and natural enemies play a role in the management of Melanaphis sorghi (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in grain sorghum. Frontiers in Plant Science. 13:1006225. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1006225.

Banerjee, R., C. Placidi de Bortoli, F. Huang, K. Lamour, R. Meagher, D. Buntin, X. Ni, F.P.F. Reay-Jones. S. Stewart, J.L. Jurat-Fuentes. 2022. Large genomic deletion linked to field-evolved resistance to Cry1F corn in fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) from Florida. Scientific Reports. 12: 13580.

Yu, W., G. P. Head, P. Price, S. Brown, D. Cook, X. Ni, F.P.F. Reay-Jones, M. Dimase, and F. Huang. 2022. Estimation of resistance allele frequencies to Cry1A.105 and Cry2Ab2 in the corn earworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) with F2 isolines generated from a mass-mating method. Crop Protection. 161: 106054.

Lin, S., I. Oyediran, Y. Niu, S. Brown, D. Cook, X. Ni, Y. Zhang, F.P.F. Reay-Jones, J.S. Chen, Z. Wen, M. Dimase, and F. Huang. 2022. Resistance allele frequency to Cry1Ab and Vip3Aa20 in Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Louisiana and three other southeastern U.S. states. Toxins. 14: 270. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins14040270.

Arends, B., D.D. Reisig, S. Gundry, J.K. Greene, G.G. Kennedy, F.P.F. Reay-Jones, and A.S. Huseth. 2022. Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) feeding incidence and survival on Bt maize in relation to maize in the landscape. Pest Management Science. 78: 2309-2315.

Dorman, S., S. Taylor, S. Malone, P. Roberts, J. Greene, D. Reisig, R. Smith, A. Jacobson, F.P.F. Reay-Jones, S. Paula-Moraes, and A. Huseth. 2022. Sampling optimization and crop interface effects on Lygus lineolaris populations in Southeastern USA cotton. Insects. 13: 88. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13010088

Greene, A. D., F.P.F. Reay-Jones, K. R. Kirk, B. K. Peoples, and J. K. Greene. 2021. Spatial associations of key Lepidopteran pests with defoliation, NDVI, and plant height in soybean. Environmental Entomology. 50: 1378-1392.

Arends, B., D.D. Reisig, S. Gundry, A.S. Huseth, F.P.F. Reay-Jones, J. Greene, and G.G. Kennedy. 2021. Soybean and maize abundance dominate effectiveness of natural resistance management refuge for Bt-cotton in the southeastern USA. Scientific Reports. 11: 17601. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-97123-8.

Dorman, S.J., K. A. Hopperstad, B. J. Reich, S. Majumder, G. Kennedy, D. D. Reisig, J. K. Greene, F.P.F. Reay-Jones, G. Collins, J. S. Bacheler, and A. S. Huseth. 2021. Landscape-level variation in Bt crops predict Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) resistance in cotton agroecosystems. Pest Management Science. 77: 5454-5462.

Gordy, J. W., N. J. Seiter, D. L. Kerns, F.P.F. Reay-Jones, R. D. Bowling, M. O. Way, and M. J. Brewer. 2021. Field assessment of aphid doubling time and yield of sorghum susceptible and partially resistance to sugarcane aphid, Melanaphis sacchari (Hemiptera: Aphididae). Journal of Economic Entomology. 114: 2076-2087.

Yu, W., S. Lin, M. Dimase, Y. Niu, S. Brown, G. P. Head, P. A. Price, F.P.F. Reay-Jones, D. Cook, D. Reisig, B. Thrash, X. Ni, S. V. Paula-Moraes, and F. Huang. 2021. Extended investigation of field-evolved resistance of the corn earworm Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1A.105 and Cry2Ab2 proteins in the southeastern United States. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. 183: 107560. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2021.107560.

Niu, Y., I. Oyediran, W. Yu, S. Lin, M. Dimase, S. Brown, F.P.F. Reay-Jones, D. Cook, D. Reisig, B. Thrash, X. Ni, S. V. Paula-Moraes, Y. Zhang, J. S. Chen, Z. Wen, and F. Huang. 2021. Populations of Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) in the southeastern United States are commonly resistant to Cry1Ab, but still susceptible to Vip3Aa20 expressed in MIR 162 corn. Toxins. 13, 63 (https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins13010063).

Greene, A. D., F.P.F. Reay-Jones, K. R. Kirk, B. K. Peoples, and J. K. Greene. 2021. Associating site characteristics with distributions of pestiferous and predatory arthropods in soybean. Environmental Entomology. 50: 477-488.

Yang, Y., F.P.F. Reay-Jones, T. E. Reagan, J. M. Beuzelin, B. E. Wilson, J. A. Davis, and J. Wang. 2021. Sugarcane aphid (Melanaphis sacchari) on sorghum – I. Population characteristics and dispersion patterns in relation of different sample unit sizes. Environmental Entomology. 50: 489-503.

Dively, G. P., T.P. Kuhar, S. Taylor, H. B. Doughty, K. Holmstrom, D. Gilrein, B. A. Nault, J. Ingerson-Mahar, J. Whalen, D. Reisig, D. L. Frank, S. J. Fleischer, D. Owens, C. Welty, F.P.F. Reay-Jones, P. Porter, J. Smith, J. Saquez, S. Murray, A. Wallingford, H. Byker, B. Jensen, E. Burkness, W. S. Hutchinson, and K. A. Hamby. 2021. Sweet corn sentinel monitoring for Lepidopteran resistance to Bt toxins. Journal of Economic Entomology. 114: 307-319.

Lamichhane, J. R., and F.P.F. Reay-Jones. 2021. Editorial: Impacts of COVID-19 on global plant health and crop protection and the resulting effect on global food security and safety. Crop Protection. 139: 105383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2020.105383.

Reisig, D. D., D. Cook, J. K. Greene, M. Caprio, J. Gore, F. Musser and F.P.F. Reay-Jones. 2020. Vertical and temporal distribution of Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae in determinate and indeterminate soybean. Bulletin of Entomological Research. 111: 282-288.

Reay-Jones, F.P.F., T. R. Bilbo, and D. D. Reisig. 2020. Decline in sublethal effects of Bt corn on corn earworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) linked to increasing levels of resistance. Journal of Economic Entomology. 113: 2241-2249.

Dorman, S. J., A. D. Gross, F. R. Musser, B. D. Catchot, R. H. Smith, D. D. Reisig, F.P.F. Reay-Jones, J. K. Greene, P. M. Roberts, and S. V. Taylor. 2020. Insecticide resistance monitoring and resistance mechanisms of Lygus lineolaris (Hemiptera: Miridae) populations in Southeastern cotton. Pest Management Science. 76: 3935-3944.

Reisig, D. D., D. Cook, J. K. Greene, M. Caprio, J. Gore, F. Musser and F.P.F. Reay-Jones. 2020. Location of Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae on different plant parts of determinate and indeterminate soybean. Bulletin of Entomological Research. 110: 725-731.

Lahiri, S., D. D. Reisig, L. L. Dean, F.P.F. Reay-Jones, J. K. Greene, T.E. Carter, Jr., R. Mian, and B. D. Fallen. 2020. Mechanisms of soybean host plant resistance against Megacopta cribraria (F.) (Hemiptera: Plataspidae). Environmental Entomology. 49: 876-885.

Wilson, B.E., F.P.F. Reay-Jones, L. Lama, M. Mulcahy, J.M. Beuzelin, T.E. Reagan, J.A. Davis, Y. Yang, and L.T. Wilson. 2020. Influence of sorghum cultivar, nitrogen fertilization, and insecticides on infestations of the sugarcane aphid (Melanaphis sacchari) in the southern United States. Journal of Economic Entomology. 113: 1850-1857.

Bilbo, T. R., F.P.F. Reay-Jones, and J. K. Greene. 2020. Evaluation of insecticide thresholds in late-planted Bt and non-Bt corn for management of fall armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Journal of Economic Entomology. 113: 814-823.

Lahiri, S., D. D. Reisig, F.P.F. Reay-Jones, J. K. Greene, T.E. Carter, Jr., R. Mian, and B. D. Fallen. 2020. Soybean host plant resistance to Megacopta cribraria (F.) (Hemiptera: Plataspidae) and the potential role of leaf trichome density. Environmental Entomology. 49: 88-97.

Reay-Jones, F.P.F., J.K. Greene, and P. J. Bauer. 2019. Spatial distributions of thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in cotton. Journal of Insect Science. 19: 3; 1-12. DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/iez103.

Lahiri, S., D. Buntin, M. D. Toews, S. Punnuri, F.P.F. Reay-Jones, X. Ni, and A. Jacobson. 2019. Combining host plant resistance and foliar insecticide application to manage Melanaphis sacchari (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in grain sorghum. International Journal of Pest Management. DOI: 10.1080/09670874.2019.1660830.

Bilbo, T. R., F.P.F. Reay-Jones, D. D. Reisig, J. K. Greene, and M. W. Turnbull. 2019. Development, survival, and feeding behavior of Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) relative to Bt protein concentrations in corn ear tissues. PLOS ONE. 14 (8): e0221343. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0221343.

Caprio, M. A., R. Kurtz, A. Catchot, D. Kerns, D. Reisig, J. Gore, and F.P.F. Reay-Jones. 2019. The corn-cotton agroecosystem in the mid-southern United States: what insecticidal event pyramids should be used in each crop to extend Vip3A durability. Journal of Economic Entomology. 112: 2894-2906.

Bilbo, T. R., F.P.F. Reay-Jones, D. D. Reisig, and J. K. Greene. 2019. Susceptibility of corn earworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to Cry1A.105 and Cry2Ab2 in North and South Carolina. Journal of Economic Entomology. 112: 1845-1857.

Reay-Jones, F.P.F. 2019. Pest status and management of corn earworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in field corn in the United States. Journal of Integrated Pest Management. 10(1): 1-9 (doi: 10.1093/jipm/pmz017).

Gordy, J. W., M. J. Brewer, R. D. Bowling, G. D. Buntin, N. J. Seiter, D. L. Kerns, F.P.F. Reay-Jones, and M. O. Way. 2019. Development of economic thresholds for sugarcane aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in susceptible grain sorghum hybrids. Journal of Economic Entomology. 112: 1251-1259.

Kerns, C., J. K. Greene, F.P.F. Reay-Jones, and W. C. Bridges, Jr. 2019. Effects of planting date on thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in cotton. Journal of Economic Entomology. 112: 699-707.

Bilbo, T. R., F.P.F. Reay-Jones, D. D. Reisig, F. R. Musser, and J. K. Greene. 2018. Effects of Bt corn on the development and fecundity of corn earworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Journal of Economic Entomology. 111: 2233-2241.

Reay-Jones, F.P.F., T. R. Bilbo, and D. D. Reisig. 2018. Sampling transgenic corn producing Bt toxins for corn earworm injury. Journal of Economic Entomology. 111: 1446-1453.

Wang, H., G. G. Kennedy, F.P.F. Reay-Jones, D. D. Reisig, M. D. Toews, P. M. Roberts, D. A. Herbert, Jr., S. Taylor, A. L. Jacobson, and J. K. Greene. 2018. Molecular identification of thrips species infesting cotton in the southeastern USA. Journal of Economic Entomology. 111: 892-898.

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