Laboratory Assessment of Host Plant Selection of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Halyomorpha halys&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;)

Sushil Nyaupane,Louis Ernest Jackai,Beatrice Nuck Dingha

doi:10.11648/j.aje.20200402.11

Abstract

The behavioral response of brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), to various phenological growth stages (leaf, flower and pod/seed/kernel) of six host plants (soybean, corn, sunflower, Early Scarlet and Mississippi Silver cowpeas, and princess tree leaf) was investigated in a Dual Choice Arena Test (DCAT) and Multiple Choice Arena Test (MCAT). In DCAT, each experiment consisted of one of the growth stages of each plant with princess tree leaf as the standard. In MCAT, two experiments were conducted using: (1) similar growth stages from the different plants and (2) different growth stages from the same plant. Halyomorpha halys distribution was observed at time intervals up to 24 hours after insects were released. Results from MCAT and Preference Index (PI) from the DCAT indicated that more H. halys were recorded on princess tree leaves. Mississippi Silver (PI=1.59±0.05) and Early Scarlet (PI=1.49±0.08) flowers were preferred over princess tree leaves and other flowers (PI≤1). Sunflower seed was the least preferred (PI=0.43±0.18) among similar growth stages. Overall, the reproductive stages were preferred over the vegetative stage. Our findings can be useful in developing management programs such as trap cropping for this pest.

Highlights

Halyomorpha halys Stal (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), commonly referred to as the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), is an invasive pentatomid species in the United States
The arena used in these experiments were similar to those described in the previous experiments (DCAT) with slight modification consisting of six lines drawn across the Whatman filter paper for a total of six hexagonal sections each with a 60° angle at the center
From the Dual Choice Arena Test (DCAT), when H. halys was given a choice between leaves of princess tree and leaves from the other host plant (MS, Early Scarlet (ES), soybean, sunflower or corn) using princess tree leaf as the standard and data collected at each time interval (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 24 h), our results show that at each time interval except at 2 hours (Mississippi Silver leaf), the Preference Index (PI) was ≤ 1 for all the leaves of the test plants indicating preference for princess tree leaf by BMSB (Table 1a)

Summary

Introduction

Halyomorpha halys Stal (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), commonly referred to as the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), is an invasive pentatomid species in the United States. Halyomorpha halys is highly polyphagous and has been documented to feed on a wide range of plant species worldwide causing severe damage [1, 13]. The lack of effective control measures has prompted many growers to rely on frequent applications of insecticides to increase H. halys kill; as much as a 5-fold increase in insecticide applications has been reported [16]. This practice kills beneficial insects leading to the resurgence of secondary pests as well as the Beatrice Nuck Dingha et al.: Laboratory Assessment of Host Plant Selection of the Brown Marmorated

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Conclusion