Mechanical and salivary aspects of potato leafhopper probing in alfalfa stems

Studies were conducted to separate the salivary and mechanical aspects of probing damage by the potato leafhopper,Empoasca fabae (Harris) (Homoptera: Cicadellidae), to stem vascular tissue of alfalfa,Medicago sativa L. Implantation of salivary gland tissue or fed-upon artificial diet under the stem epidermis yielded no evidence, three days later, of hopperburn-associated, anatomical changes. Mechanical puncturing of stems with implements approximating the size and shape of leafhopper stylets caused some anatomical changes, three days later, similar to those underlying hopperburn, i.e. tracks of necrosis, chlorosis, cell enlargement, and cell division. These changes, however, were much less severe than those observed in tissues three days after potato leafhopper probing. In contrast, puncturing through salivary gland or Malpighian tubule tissues produced extreme hyperplasia and other symptoms of wounding in cells near the puncture. This was similar to but more severe than effects from leafhopper probing, and was probably caused by leafhopper structural tissues or larger amounts of saliva being conveyed into the plant than normally occurs during leafhopper probing. We conclude that both salivation and mechanical wounding by leafhopper stylets are probably necessary to cause hopperburn-associated anatomical changes to vascular tissue in stems of alfalfa. This conclusion supports our hypothesis that hopperburn is a saliva-enhanced wound response.