Preface 



This publication compiles current host-plant evaluation 

 information for the major alfalfa pests in North America. 

 The information was assembled by the Alfalfa Improvement 

 Conference Committee on "Standard Tests for Characteriz- 

 ing Disease and Insect Resistance of Alfalfa Cultivars." The 

 first edition (ARS-NC-19, 1974) was approved by the 23d 

 Alfalfa Improvement Conference in 1972. Members attend- 

 ing the 26th Alfalfa Improvement Conference at Brookings, 

 S. Dak., June 6-8, 1978, requested that a revised edition be 

 developed. 



The committee was assigned to (1) review the available 

 information on evaluating pest resistance in alfalfa cultivars 

 .and determine whether information gaps exist, (2) identify 

 and describe pest-evaluation procedures that could be con- 

 sidered as standard tests, (3) identify persons and locations 

 that can provide information about cultivar-evaluation tests 

 for specific types of pest resistance, and (4) collect seed of 

 check cultivars for distribution to scientists conducting 

 standard pest-evaluation tests. 



K. T. Leath, research plant pathologist, USDA-ARS, U.S. 

 Regional Pasture Research Laboratory, University Park, Pa. 



E. L Sorensen, research agronomist, USDA-ARS, Kansas 

 State University, Manhattan. 



W. F. Lehman, agronomist, University of California, El Cen- 

 tre Calif. 



S. A. Ostazeski, research plant pathologist, USDA-ARS, 

 Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Md. 



D. L. Stuteville, professor, Department of Plant Pathology, 

 Kansas State University, Manhattan. 



W. R. Kehr, research agronomist, USDA-ARS, University of 

 Nebraska, Lincoln. 



R. N. Peaden, research agronomist, USDA-ARS, Irrigated 

 Agriculture Research and Extension Center, Prosser, Wash. 



Contributors to this edition are: 



J. H. Elgin, Jr., research agronomist, USDA-ARS, Beltsville 

 Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Md. (editor) 



D. K. Barnes, research geneticist, USDA-ARS, University of 

 Minnesota, St. Paul, (associate editor) 



R. H. Ratcliffe, research entomologist, USDA-ARS, Beltsville 

 Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Md. 



F. I. Frosheiser, research plant pathologist, USDA-ARS, Uni- 

 versity of Minnesota, St. Paul. 



M.W. Nielson, research entomologist, USDA-ARS, Forage 

 Insects Research Laboratory, Tucson, Ariz. 



M. D. Rumbaugh, research geneticist, USDA-ARS, Utah 

 State University, Logan. 



G. R. Manglitz, research entomologist, USDA-ARS, Univer- 

 sity of Nebraska, Lincoln. 



J. E. McMurtrey III, research agronomist, USDA-ARS, Belts- 

 ville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Md. 



R. R. Hill, Jr., research agronomist, USDA-ARS, U.S. 

 Regional Pasture Research Laboratory, University Park, Pa. 



B. D. Thyr, research plant pathologist, USDA-ARS, Univer- 

 sity of Nevada, Reno. 



B. J. Hartman, research agronomist, USDA-ARS, University 

 of Nevada, Reno. 



