US Farmers Given Early Warning About Hungry Crop Pest

Biologists say a destructive insect is likely to cause even more damage than usual as rising temperatures prompt leaves to sprout earlier.

It is small, bright green and an unwelcome visitor.  But global warming means that this particular agricultural menace arrives earlier than ever − and consumes more than ever.

New research has confirmed that the potato leafhopper now turns up to devour US crops on average 10 days earlier than it did 60 years ago.

Despite its informal name, Empoasca fabae is known to have developed an appetite not just for potatoes, but for anything from rhubarb to red maple trees.

It survives over the winter in the southernmost states, then moves north as the temperatures begin to rise and crops begin to sprout.

It has been observed to reproduce itself on around 200 plant species, and it also has a taste for apples, celery, beans, grapes, hops and the important perennial forage crop alfalfa, sometimes also known as lucerne.

Severe infestation
Three biologists from two US universities report in PLOS One, the Public Library of Science journal, that leafhopper infestation is more severe in the warmest years, and that the damage caused by the tiny insect is likely to increase as average temperatures continue to rise.

It arrives in the growing season and pierces the plant leaf tissue to get at the sap.  Its saliva carries a toxin that can cause the leaf to dry, curl and rot, and the consequent damage is called “hopperburn”.

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