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What is it?
Potato leafhoppers are of the empoasca fabae species and feed by sucking the plant sap from the undersides of potato leaves. Potato leafhoppers can retard or stunt the growth of potato plants and these garden pests can affect the maturity of the vegetable which can hinder your potato harvest.
What does it look like?
Empoasca fabae species potato leafhoppers look somewhat similar to the common and more well known grasshopper. Potato leafhoppers are a pale green which, in some cases, can make these garden pests almost seem as if they are a part of the plant. Often times potato leafhoppers blend in so well you don’t notice them until extensive damage has been done to the potato plant. Some potato leafhoppers vary in shade to a pale yellowish green or almost whitish shade and can also these insects grow to be approximately 1/8 inch long. An interesting characteristic of empoasca fabae is that these garden pests run sideways. Potato leafhoppers also hop, and will fly away quickly if you happen to touch or rustle the potato plant they are feeding on.
Damage from empoasca fabae results in leaves appearing scorched or being stippled in appearance. The potato leaves will also have green midribs which are in strong contrast to the brown leaf edges which will appear curled under and inward upon themselves.
How does it manifest?
Potato leafhoppers of the empoasca fabae species live year round in the Gulf states and they migrate northward when spring brings warm winds. This means that they can harm plants even in regions over winter where their eggs cannot because adult forms travel northward. Potato leafhoppers tend to damaging to potato plants at all levels of maturity and are active throughout the entire potato growing season, which can mean that you will have potato leafhopper infestations in both your early and late growing crops.
When leafhoppers feed on potato plants, they suck sap from the undersides of leaves, which causes the damage. Potato leafhoppers also cause what is known as hopper burn or the browning and curling under of leaves. Empoasca fabae causes hopperburn by injecting a toxic salivary product into the tissues of the leave where nutrients are passed. This toxin interrupts the flow of nutrients through the plant and causes the leaves to curl under and brown. Hopperburn can cause drastic underdevelopment of the potato plant and severely hinder the crop yield at harvest time.
What can you do about it?
When you notice potato leafhopper damage on your potato plants, you can treat the plants with an insecticide spray containing carbaryl, pyrethrins or malathion. There are also a few insecticide soaps which are sold for leafhoppers. Be sure to follow label directions carefully. You will need to reapply applications of the insecticide to potato plants at 10 day intervals for as long as you see evidence of these garden pests or of hopperburn. It is a good idea in warmer climates to be sure to clear any weeds or plant debris in the area of the potato garden where potato leafhoppers may lay eggs so you do not have a problem the following spring from over wintering.
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