Why Is It So Important To Manage Potato Leafhopper?
Dr. Dennis Calvin
Penn State University
While some new alfalfa varieties
offer resistance to the potato
leafhopper, most varieties do not. So
managing leafhoppers remains very
important in producing alfalfa in
Pennsylvania.
As spring approaches, warm air
will begin 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 potato leafhopper.
The potato leafhopper is a migra
tory insect that overwinters in
states along the Gulf of Mexico. It
cannot survive the cold winter con
ditions in the northern U.S. In the
spring, potato leafhoppers wait for
the right climactic conditions and
then fly into updrafts created by
strong storm systems developing in
the Gulf of Mexico. The insects are
drawn into the storm system and
carried hundred of miles north and
eastward. Computer 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 understand this behavior of
the potato leafhopper, its arrival
into Pennsylvania can be anticipat
ed. In the spring, beginning about
late April, major storms from the
Gulf of Mexico begin to move north
and east into Pennsylvania. The fre
quency and intensity of these storm
fronts influence the timing and
number of leafhoppers reaching the
northeast U.S.
In years when few storms arrive
early, the arrival of leafhopper is
later and the numbers arriving are
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lower, resulting in reduced pressure
for the insect. Under these condi
tions, only a few second cutting
alfalfa field typically need an insec
ticide application.
However, the numbers buildup
during 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, potato leafhop
pers in general arrive earlier and
damage from the insect is greater.
Under these conditions many sec
ond-and third-cutting alfalfa fields
require an insecticide application to
prevent damage.
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 wavelengths of light
reflected from the young alfalfa
plants that are yellow-green is very
attractive to leafhoppers flying over
the field. To a leafhoppers, this indi
cates that the plant is succulent 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 con
tent. Besides providing a good diet
for the leafhopper, the younger
plants are more tender, making it
easier for females to penetrate the
stem to deposit their eggs in the
stem.
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Foraging Around, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 22, 2000-Page 31
spring storms that move into
Pennsylvania beginning in late
April, the arrival of leafhoppers can
be anticipated. Scouting after
regrowth of the first cutting has
reached 2 to 4 inches will help iden
tify economic infestations of leafhop
(Continued from Pago 30)
The adults are about 3/16 of an
inch long, brown in color, and have
along snout, characteristic of wee
vils. The adults remain in the alfalfa
stand and feed on newly emerging
shoots or buds until later in the sea
son when they move into nearby
protective areas.
Alfalfa weevils can be an impor
tant pest of alfalfa. However, not all
fields will have populations high
enough to warrant control. Each
field should be surveyed to deter
mine the degree of infestation and
the level of damage before control
decisions are made.
Target alfalfa stands on southern
exposures close to wooded areas for
a closer look. Economic threshold
levels have been calculated for alfal
fa weevils. A general recommenda-
Capitol Region
gronomy Team
Report
per before significant injury occurs.
It is particularly important to check
fields after a storm originating in
the Gulf of Mexico has just passed
through, since leafhoppers are
transported northward in the spring
on these storms into Pennsylvania.
mM
tion for control is if weevil-feeding
damages 30 or 40 percent of tips,
larva are still present, and early
harvest is more than a week away.
Mowing can occasionally elimi
nate the need for insecticides.
Mowing exposes small larva to sun
light, which can dry them out, and
plant removal can lead to starvation
until regrowth begins. Pupa and
adults will survive after harvest and
can cause significant injury to newly
developing shoots. Scouting after
harvest in heavily damaged areas
can help to determine if additional
controls are necessary.
Refer to the publication, “A Pest
Management Program For Alfalfa In
Pennsylvania” for additional infor
mation on sampling and threshold
levels. Refer to the “1999/2000 Penn
State Agronomy Guide” for specific
control materials.