December, '22] severin and basinger: beet leafhopper 413 



have already been seriously injured, or abandoned." According to 

 this same writer, alkali finds its way into good lands by the use of saline 

 irrigation water, and by the rise of the ground water level through 

 seepage and over-irrigation. 



Among the Chenopodiaceae the saltbushes are most favorable for the 

 enormous increase of the beet leafhopper. The following list of A tri- 

 plexes found in the San Joaquin Valley, shows whether the different 

 species are native to this country, restricted to California or introduced 

 from other countries: 



List of Saltbushes Found in San Joaquin Valley 



Annuals 



1. Silverscale or Fog Weed (Airiplex expansa). Native. 



2. Bractscale {Atriplex bracteosa). Native. 



3. Redscale or Red Orache {Atriplex rosea). Introduced from Europe. 



4. Crownscale {Atriplex coronata). Restricted to California. 



5. Heartscale {Atriplex cordulata). Restricted to California. 



6. Arrowscale {Atriplex phyllostegia). Native. 



7. Atriplex parishi. Restricted to California. 



8. Spearscale {Atriplex patula). Native. 



9. Atriplex tularensis. Restricted to San Joaquin Valley. 



Perennials 



10. Atriplex fruticulosa. Restricted to Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys. 



11. Australian Saltbush {Atriplex semihaccata) . Introduced from Australia. 



12. AUscale or Cattle Spinach {Atriplex polycarpa). Native. 



13. Lenscale or Quail Brush {Atriplex lentiformis) . Native. 



14. Atriplex spinifera. Restricted to San Joaquin Valley. 



In a dry autumn, when no green pasture vegetation occurs on the 

 plains and foothills, the shrubby, perennial A triplexes serve as food 

 plants for the winter brood which returns to the plains and foothills 

 during October and November. After the pasture vegetation germinates, 

 the adults leave the perennial Atriplexes, feed and deposit their eggs 

 mainly on Alfilarie or Red Stem Filaree {Er odium cicutarium). In a 

 normal season of rainfall, however, the winter generation feeds on Red 

 Stem Filaree directly, and no large ntimbers of adults are found on the 

 shrubby, perennial Atriplexes during the autumn. The hopper has 

 been bred, however, from one shrubby, perennial saltbush, Atriplex 

 spinifera, under natural conditions, the eggs probably being deposited 

 in the leaves. 



The beet leafhopper has been bred from four pigweeds growing in the 

 cultivated area of the San Joaquin Valley. Among the following 

 pigweeds, the Nettle-Leaf Goosefoot (C. niurale) is the most favorable 

 breeding plant: Pigweed or Lambs Quarters (Chenopodium album). 



