Source: CropWatch - University of Nebraska, Lincoln
By: Bruce Anderson, Extension Forage Specialist

New varieties of alfalfa that resist injury from potato leafhoppers have improved and are worth checking out. Last summer, many alfalfa fields turned yellow and stopped growing because of potato leafhoppers. Past alfalfa varieties with potato leafhopper resistance, offered a resistance level too low to be worthwhile. Also, these varieties yielded less when leafhoppers were not a problem, and seed cost was much higher.

Varieties now have a high enough level of resistance to leafhoppers to make a big yield difference when leafhoppers are active, and they don't have lower yields when leafhoppers are inactive.

Seed prices still are higher for these varieties, so they should only be used if leafhoppers are frequently a problem. Also, seedling alfalfa plants of resistant varieties still are susceptible to leafhopper damage so clipping injured plants and/or use of insecticides should be considered. The most damage from potato leafhoppers usually is observed east of the Iowa/Nebraska border. West of Highway 281 potato leafhopper damage is infrequent so resistant varieties may not be useful. In those in-between areas, it seems leafhoppers are becoming more common. These newer varieties with higher leafhopper resistance should be valuable to alfalfa growers in this region that have alfalfa as a major source of income.