Potato Leafhopper
Egg - About 1 mm long, the egg is elongate and whitish.
Nymph - Several nymphal stages exist, all of which are wingless and smaller than the adult. Though paler, the nymph is colored similarly to the adult.
Host Plants - The potato leafhopper feeds on nearly 200 kinds of cultivated and wild plants. In some areas of the state, it is a serious pest of alfalfa, other forage legumes, potatoes, beans, peanuts, and other crops.
Damage - Leafhoppers damage peanuts by inserting their beaks into the leaf tissue, sucking the plant sap, and secreting a toxic substance into the plant during feeding. The leaf tips of injured plants turn yellow (hopper burn). Later, if infestations are heavy, entire fields may acquire a yellowish appearance. Infested leaves may be shed prematurely and appear scorched at the tips. Leafhopper injury reduces the production and translocation of photosynthetic materials to the developing pods, thus lowering yields.
Life History - The potato leafhopper overwinters in the Gulf States and migrates northward in the spring. In North Carolina, these pests are usually found on the underside of peanut leaves by June. Young (nymphs) are not found in abundance on peanuts until the first or second week of July. Peak numbers of leafhoppers occur in peanut fields during early August and usually begin declining by mid- to late August. However, in exceptional years, heavy infestations may be present through September.
Three to ten days after mating, the females use their sharp ovipositors to thrust eggs into the main veins or petioles of the leaves. An average of two or three eggs are laid daily, and the females live a month or more. The eggs hatch in about 10 days. Nymphs become fully grown in about 2 weeks. Nymphs usually develop on the leaves where they hatch, molting five times before they become adults. Several overlapping generations (two to four) occur each year.
