Page 24—Foraging Around, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 17, 1999
MANAGING
POTATO LEAFHOPPER
Dr. Dennis Calvin
Penn State Forage Specialist
While some new alfalfa varieties
offer resistance to the potato leafhon
per, most varieties do not so managing
leafhoppers remains very important in
producing alfalfa in Pennsylvania. As
spring approaches, warm air will be
gin to move into the northeast and
bring with it spring showers. These
spring showers that originate in the
Gulf of Mexico can also bring the po
tato leafhopper.
The potato leafhopper is a migra
tory insect that overwinters in states
along the Gulf of Mexico. It cannot
survive the cold winter conditions and
then fly into updrafts created by strong
storms systems developing in the Gulf
of Mexico. The insects are drawn into
the storm system and carried hundreds
of miles north and eastward. Comput
er simulations of storm movement
have predicted that potato leafhoppers
can move from the Gulf of Mexico to
Pennsylvania in as little as five days.
By understanding this behavior of
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the potato leafhopper, its arrival into
Pennsylvania can be anticipated. In
the spring, beginning around late
April, major storms from the Gulf of
Mexico begin to move north and east
into Pennsylvania. The frequency and
intensity of these storm fronts influ
ence the timing and number of leaf
hoppers reaching the northeast United
States.
In years when few storms arrive
early, the arrival of leafhopper is later
and the numbers arriving are lower,
resulting in reduced pressure from the
insect. Under these conditions, only a
few second cutting alfalfa field typi
cally need an insecticide application.
However, the numbers build-up dur
ing the second cutting and a greater
number of third cutting field require
an insecticide application. In years
when early spring storms originating
in the Gulf of Mexico are frequent, po
tato leafhoppers in general arrive ear
lier and damage from the insect is
greater. Under these conditions many
second and third cutting alfalfa fields
require an insecticide application to
prevent damage.
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As the second cutting of alfalfa
reaches about 2 to 4 inches in height,
scout the field once a week. If a storm
has just moved through the area there
is a good chance that new leafhoppers
have moved into the field. Arriving
leafhoppers prefer the new regrowth
before it takes on the dark-blue green
color of maturing alfalfa. The wave
lengths of light reflected from the
young alfalfa plants that are yellow
green is very attractive to leafhoppers
flying over the field. To a leafhopper
this indicates that the plant is succu
lent and rich in the nutrients it needs
for proper egg development and
growth and development. Older plants
have harder stems and leaves and a
lower protein content. Besides provid
ing a good diet for the leafhoppers the
Research from Great Britain
shows that dairy cows on pasture
consume the greatest amount of
pasture four to five hours before
dark.
About 40 percent of the cows;
daily pasture intake occurred in the
period between evening milking and
dark. Cows put on pasture after the
morning milking grazed for less
time (2 to 3 hours) and consumed
less pasture than the evening graz
ing group. In the last five weeks of
the research trial, cows on pasture
after the evening milking produced
5 percent more milk than cows
allowed on pasture only after the
morning milking.
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younger plants are more tender, mak
ing it easier for females to penetrate
the stem to deposit their eggs in the
stem.
In summary, by watching the spring
storms that move into Pennsylvania
beginning in late April, the arrival of
leafhoppers can be anticipated. Scout
ing after regrowth of the first cutting
has reached 2 to 4 inches will help
identify economic infestations of leaf
hopper before significant injury oc
curs. It is particularly important to
check fields after a storm originating
in the Gulf of Mexico has just passed
through, since leafhoppers are trans
ported northward in the spring on
these storms into Pennsylvania.
Forage Variety Trials
Report Available
The 1998 Penn State “Forage
Variety Trials Report” is available,
for free, at your county extension
office. This year’s report contains
variety performance information on
alfalfa, red clover, and many cool
season grass species. If you will be
sending forages during the next
year, this report will be a valuable
asset in your species/vanety selec
tion process.
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• 5 bar. 48” high
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Sat 7-11