Replicated plots of five commercial glandular-haired alfalfa varieties and a non-glandular check were established in fall 1998 in the piedmont region of Virginia. Potato leafhopper populations and yield parameters were recorded for three years. This period included a year with severe drought and moderate leafhopper populations (1999), a year with excellent growing conditions and very high leafhopper populations (2000), and a year with good soil moisture in early summer giving way to dry conditions, with high leafhopper populations (2001)
Potato leafhopper populations were generally lower on glandular-haired alfalfa varieties compared to the non-glandular-haired check. However, no significant differences in yield occurred in any of the years, and in fact, the non-glandular check numerically outyielded all glandular varieties over the three years.
Species 1: Homoptera Cicadellidae Empoasca fabae (potato leafhopper)
Keywords: alfalfa, resistance
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA