Why use Potato Leafhopper Resistant Alfalfa?
Have you had problems with potato leafhoppers (PLH) in your alfalfa? You know that large infestations of PLH in alfalfa can reduce the plant protein by 5% and yield by a half ton per acre per cutting. If you see V-shaped yellowing on the tips of the leaves you have a good chance potato leafhopper has been in your alfalfa. If V-shaped yellowing has appeared you have already lost protein and yield, plus the alfalfa will have slower re-growth after harvest and increased chance of winter kill. A good option for reducing losses to this insect pest is to plant PLH resistant alfalfa. Research has shown that potato leafhopper resistant alfalfa is consistently higher in quality than susceptible cultivars with or without potato leafhopper pressure. Some of the most recent releases of PLH resistant alfalfa are as high as 70 percent resistant. (Note: a ” highly resistant” cultivar is 50% or more of the plants are resistant.) The newer potato leafhopper resistant varieties have comparable yields as