Oviposition and Girdling Habits of the Threecornered Alfalfa Hopper (Homoptera: Membracidae) on Preblooming Soybeans

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Abstract
The threecornered alfalfa hopper, Spissistilus festinus (Say), damages preblooming soybean in southeastern Texas by girdling main stems and petioles. Plants with main-stem girdles occasionally exceed 85%in some fields. Only adult hoppers are responsible for girdling during the period 2-2¼ weeks immediately after plant emergence. As soybean plants increase in size and age, hoppers place more girdles on the petioles than main stems. Nymphs contribute to girdling later in the season, principally on petioles. Between 88 and 93% of main-stem girdles occurred on the hypocotyl and lowest internode. Girdling of petioles reached 43% before the plants began blooming in one field. The females lay a large majority of their eggs in the nodes and terminal of the plant, but very few eggs are laid in the root, internodes, and petioles. Girdling of a soybean plant is not a prerequisite for oviposition since eggs were also found in nongirdled plants.