Dr. Art Hower, Dr. Dennis Calvin, Ms. Jan Pruss, and the Crop Management Associations are currently conducting field research to evaluate the economic impact of PLH on seedings of alfalfa. Insect Alert Potato Leafhopper - Potato leafhopper numbers have sky rocketed off the Richter Scale since the last newsletter. It appears that high numbers of immigrants arrived in the state on major thunderstorms at the end of June and early this month. It is the females that do the majority of feeding and that are responsible for depositing eggs that lead to population growth. Yield and quality is falling off rapidly in the second cutting.
Yellow alfalfa is common in both established and new seedings.
New seedings seeded under a small grain crop are also being hit hard by the pest. Currently, there is little information available on the impact of leafhopper on new seedings. The product registered for control of leafhopper in a new seeding under a small grain is malathion. Therefore, getting the small grain off as soon as possible and then cutting the alfalfa is the best management strategy. If significant root feeding has occurred in a field, injury symptoms should become evident within the next few weeks.