Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Washington, D.C. » National Arboretum » Floral and Nursery Plants Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #143550
Title: NITROGEN FERTILIZATION AND UTILIZATION OF CONTAINER-GROWN MAPLE SELECTIONS AS HOSTS BY THE POTATO LEAFHOPPER

Author
item Bentz, Jo Ann
item Townsend, Alden

Submitted to: Journal of the American Society for Information Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/20/2002
Publication Date: 6/15/2003
Citation: Bentz, J., Townsend, A.M. 2003. Nitrogen fertilization and utilization of container-grown maple selections as hosts by the potato leafhopper. Journal of the American Society for Information Science. 128(6): 821-826.

Interpretive Summary: Container-grown trees of red maple and of Freeman maple were fertilized with different levels of calcium nitrate to assess if these trees were more susceptible to the potato leafhopper. When given a choice, females laid more eggs on leaves of red maple 56026 than on red maple clone 59904, with even more eggs laid on trees that were fertilized. When leafhoppers were confined to leaves using cages, identity of the tree was not important, but they laid more eggs on trees that received high levels of fertilizer than on those that were not fertilized. Leafhoppers did not like laying eggs on Freeman maple, despite if they had been fertilized or not. Very few nymphs survived to adulthood when reared on the Freeman maple `Jeffersred¿, but most survived on red maple 59904. Trees that had been fertilized grew more than those that were not fertilized, but each clone grew at a different rate. Leaf development was accelerated by fertilization. Red maples and Freeman maples differed in their amounts of foliar nutrients, which related to the fertilizer level applied to trees. The foliar nutrient content could be used as an indicator of tree susceptibility to insect attack under different growing conditions.

Technical Abstract: The suitability of three container-grown clones of red maple treated with 0, 500, or 1000 ppm of calcium nitrate was determined, and compared to three Freeman maple cultivars as hosts to the potato leafhopper. When given a choice, female leafhoppers laid more eggs on leaves of red maple 56026 than on leaves of red maple 59904, with oviposition linearly increasing with increases in the fertilizer level applied to the trees. When female leafhoppers were confined to leaves using cages, oviposition increased linearly as fertilizer level increased, regardless of clone. Oviposition did not differ among Freeman maple cultivars, nor was it influenced by the fertilizer level. Nymphs had the lowest odds of surviving to adulthood when reared on the Freeman maple `Jeffersred¿, but highest when reared on red maple 59904. Red maple 59904 had the fastest tree growth rate while red maple 55410 had the slowest. Leaf development of red maple clones was accelerated by fertilization. The maple selections differed in their mean amounts of foliar nutrients, which related to the fertilizer level applied to trees. The C:N ratio decreased as fertilizer level applied to trees was increased. This study showed that fertilization improved the performance of the potato leafhopper on previously nonpreferred maple selections. The foliar nutrient content and C:N ratio could be used as indicators of tree susceptibility to insect attack under different growing conditions.