Damage to Soybean by Acrosternum hilare (Say) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)

Abstract

A series of field-cage experiments were conducted in 2002 and 2003 in southeast Arkansas to measure the impact of feeding by green stink bug, Acrosternum hilare (Say), on soybean yield and seed damage. Stink bugs were collected from local soybean fields and released in 1.8 × 1.8 × 1.8 m walk-in screen cages at densities of 0, 3, 9, and 18 bugs per row-m on maturity group (MG) IV and MG V soybean at different stages of crop phenological development. Damaged seed at harvest was significantly related to caged density of A. hilare in most of the cage experiments. Yield loss was associated with density of caged bugs in 7 of 11 different experiments and ranged from 13.4–60.5 kg/ha (0.2–0.9 bu/a) lost per bug per row-m. MG IV and MG V soybean were similarly impacted by density of A. hilare when exposed at the same stage of crop development. Feeding by small and large nymphs at early (R2–R3) and mid (R5–R6) reproductive stages resulted in significant yield loss. Feeding damage was apparent on late reproductive stage soybean (R7–R8), but no measurable impact on yield was observed. This suggested that thresholds could be raised or control efforts could be terminated for stink bugs infesting R7–R8 stage soybean. Damage due to feeding by stink bugs is related to various factors, but crop phenology, density of bugs, and length of infestation time are consistent and predictable influences that are interrelated, and all should be considered in determining the need to control field populations.