New alfalfa varieties with resistance to potato leafhopper have been reported to also exhibit tolerance to injury. Previous studies have shown that feeding by potato leafhopper causes significant, short-term reductions in rates of photosynthesis and transpiration. If resistant varieties were also tolerant to feeding injury, then the impact of injury on the gas exchange rates would be reduced in the resistant, glandular-haired clones compared to susceptible clones. Field studies were conducted to measure the relative impact of leafhopper injury on gas exchange rates on resistant and susceptible alfalfa. In addition, the gas exchange responses of replicated resistant and susceptible clones of alfalfa were tested in the greenhouse. Preliminary results suggest that clones exhibit a wide range of tolerance, not related to the level of resistance.
Species 1: Homoptera Cicadellidae Empoasca fabae (potato leafhopper)
Keywords: tolerance, photosynthesis
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA