When managing potato leafhopper, when should insecticide treatments be applied?

When managing potato leafhopper, when should insecticide treatments be applied?

• A. Before leaf curl.
• B. After leaf curl.
• C. Only to the roots.
• D. Only during blooming.

Answer: (A)

Protecting the new, growing potato leaves from leafhopper feeding is key. The best time to spray is before leaf curl appears because leafhoppers feed on the developing leaf tissue, and treating during this early stage targets them when they’re feeding on the freshest growth. If spraying is delayed until curling starts, much of the damage has already occurred, the leaves are distorted and less accessible to the spray, and yield protection is reduced. Why the other timings aren’t ideal: spraying only to the roots won’t reach the leafhoppers that feed on the leaves; spraying only during blooming misses the critical window of protecting new growth, and waiting until after leaf curl means substantial damage has already happened and control is much less effective.

Protecting the new, growing potato leaves from leafhopper feeding is key. The best time to spray is before leaf curl appears because leafhoppers feed on the developing leaf tissue, and treating during this early stage targets them when they’re feeding on the freshest growth. If spraying is delayed until curling starts, much of the damage has already occurred, the leaves are distorted and less accessible to the spray, and yield protection is reduced.

Why the other timings aren’t ideal: spraying only to the roots won’t reach the leafhoppers that feed on the leaves; spraying only during blooming misses the critical window of protecting new growth, and waiting until after leaf curl means substantial damage has already happened and control is much less effective.