2003 Annual Report 4.What were the most significant accomplishments this past year? D. Progress Report. This report serves to document research conducted under a specific cooperative agreement between Mississippi State University at Mound Bayou, MS, and ARS. Additional details for this subordinate project may be found in the in-house parent project 6402-22000-034-00D entitled, "Insect Pest Suppression Strategies to Improve Production of Corn, Cotton, Soybean, and Sweetpotato in the Mid South." Plots of sweetpotato, variety Beauregard, were planted at the Alcorn State demonstration farm for the purpose of evaluating efficacy and benefit of insecticides applied foliarly during the season. Insect populations were extremely light with few pests during the season. Insects expected in the samples included flea beetles (Chaetocnema spp., Systena spp.), cucumber beetles (primarily Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi Barber [12 spotted cucumber beetle]), whitefringed beetle (Graphognathus spp.), and various click beetles and lepidoptera larvae. Sugarcane beetle, Euetheola humilis rugicieps (LeConte), and white fringed beetle were not found in any of the vacuum of other samples at the Mound Bayou location; however, some potatoes had damage identified as that from both insect pests. There were no statistically significant differences between means of the untreated (water) check plots and means of insecticide treatments summarized for the growing season for insects counted in vacuum samples or for insect numbers found under vines on two sample dates. Only on 26 June were differences between treatments identified in numbers of flea beetles and lepidopteran larvae. Evaluation of potatoes at harvest was not possible because of continued rainy weather and subsequent rotting of potatoes in the field. A small sample of potatoes dug with a shovel in each plot 12 September demonstrated very little damage and no significant differences between treatments.