Wise, J. C. 1990. Local dispersal of the potato leafhopper Homoptera: Cicadellidae in response to alfalfa cutting. Thesis, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA..

Local dispersal of the potato leafhopper (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) in response to alfalfa cutting was studied in 1989, in a 1.9 ha alfalfa field and surrounding vegetative habitats, located in South-West Michigan. Yellow sticky traps, net sweeps, and area traps were used to determine the vertical distribution, habitat preference, and timing of adult dispersal out of alfalfa after cutting, and the spatial distribution of potato leafhoppers re-colonizing the alfalfa. Dispersal patterns from the first alfalfa cutting suggest that long distance migrant populations may not have the ability to disperse out of the alfalfa in response to cutting. Dispersal patterns from the second cutting indicate that the locally produced populations disperse primarily at low heights (1.2 to 2.7 m), leaving the field almost immediately after cutting, and prefer black locust over cherry, oak and grass vegetation. The spatial distribution of the potato leafhoppers in alfalfa indicates that following harvest, the tree vegetation surrounding the field acts as a temporary host until conditions in the alfalfa become favorable for recolonization.

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