November, 2003

Potato Leafhopper Resistance                                           PDF Version
Empoasca fabae (Harris)
Mark McCaslin and David Miller

PLANT CULTURE

 Greenhouse
Container .......... Bench, flat, or pot deep enough to allow root development
Media ............... Sand, soil or potting mix
Temp/light ........ 24 to 30oC; 16+ hr day length
No. of Plants ..... 25+ per replication
No. of Reps......  3 to 6 replications
Other ............... Spray and fertilize as necessary

FIELD ESTABLISHMENT

Location ........... Transplant 8-12 week old plants to the field in mid to late May.
Spacing ............ 0.3 to 0.4m x 0.6 to 1.0m
Culture ............. Maintain vigorous growth and control weeds.
Location ........... Test sites should be limited to areas where potato leafhopper populations normally cause damage.

RATING

Rating can be taken at any time during the establishment year when the susceptible check is showing severe and uniform stunting and yellowing.

NOTE - Potato leafhopper resistance may vary based on synthetic generation of seed used.

A 1-5 scale is used to rate PLH damage. Both foliar discoloration (yellowing and/or reddening) and plant stunting are used to assess damage.

  1. No apparent injury
  2. Very minor stunting and yellowing
  3. Moderate stunting, yellowing is evident on 20-40% of leaves
  4. Significant injury. Plants showing significant stunting with yellowing on 40-60% of leaves
  5. Severe injury. Plants with severe stunting; yellowing or reddening evident of 60-100% of leaves.

Alfalfa populations can be characterized for resistance to PLH by calculating an average severity index (ASI) and percentage of resistant plants (i.e. combined percentage of plants rated as class 1 and 2.)

CHECK CULTIVARS

  Approximate
Expected
Resistance(%) 		Acceptable
Range of
Resistance(%)
Resistant    
Evergreen 30 20 - 40
Susceptible    
5454 0 0 - 1

DISTRIBUTION AND SEVERITY OF POTATO LEAFHOPPER

Potato Leafhopper Empoasca fabae Harris 
Click on the above map for a larger version.  See also the KEY.

SCIENTISTS WITH EXPERTISE

Name .......... Mark McCaslin
Address ....... Forage Genetics International
                     P.O. Box 415
                     Prior Lake MN  55372
Phone ...........(608) 786-2121
Email.............mccaslin@forage-genetics.com



Name ........... Dave Miller
Address ........ Pioneer HiBred International, Inc.
                      W8131 State Highway 60
                      Arlington, WI 53911
Phone ........... (608) 635-7396
Email............. david.j.miller@pioneer.com

 

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