Effects of Japanese rice field boundary vegetation on Stenotus rubrovittatus (Hemiptera: Miridae) abundance

Abstract

The influence of the type of field boundary vegetation on sorghum plant bug [Stenotus rubrovittatus (Matsumura)] abundance was studied in 36 rice fields at three study sites in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. To survey the field abundance of the species, we used traps baited with a synthetic attractant pheromone. We also surveyed field boundary vegetation located within a 100-m radius from each trap. A two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) of the vegetation types in 785 boundaries of study fields as well as surrounding fields resulted in five groups. A generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) was built to investigate the effects of field boundary vegetation types on the abundance of S. rubrovittatus. Intensive mowing in June of immediate and surrounding rice field boundaries containing flowering host plants of S. rubrovittatus, such as Lolium multiflorum Lam. and other poaceous plants, is the key to reducing the total abundance of S. rubrovittatus. The result implies that an area-wide pest management strategy should be developed based on food source preferences and habitat specificity of the agricultural pest species.