Seasonal Abundance and Population Structure of Chinavia hilaris and Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in Georgia Farmscapes Containing Corn, Cotton, Peanut, and Soybean

Abstract

Stink bugs are economically important pests that damage a wide range of crops in the southeastern United States. Stink bug feeding on developing cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. ) bolls may result in reduced yield and loss of fiber quality; similarly, feeding on developing soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] pods can reduce yield and seed quality. During 2009 and 2010, the seasonal abundance and reproductive biology of Chinavia hilaris (Say) and Nezara viridula (L.) were investigated in replicated 1.62–2.83-ha farmscapes containing equal proportions of corn (Zea mays L.), cotton, peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), and soybean. Crops were sampled weekly by using whole plant examinations in corn and sweep net sampling in cotton, peanut, and soybean. In 2010 only, adults were dissected to rate their reproductive development, and nymphs were classified to instar. No C. hilaris adults or nymphs ever were observed in corn; however, nymphs were observed in cotton and soybean during late September with peak abundance occurring just after the autumnal equinox. The peak of late-instar nymphs was followed within 2 wk by a peak of nonreproductive adults. More adults were observed in soybean than cotton. In contrast, N. viridula nymphs and adults were found across all crops and had multiple generations throughout the growing season. Results from this study indicate that C. hilaris and N. viridula are different in voltinism, phenology, and use of hosts. These data provide knowledge of stink bug biology and population ecology at the landscape level and are useful for designing and implementing stink bug management programs.

Spatial Analysis of the Cereal Leaf Beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in Wheat

“…For N. viridula, the irregular nymph stage peaks across multiple crops (Fig. 1D) suggested multivoltinism, a view supported by Sullivan (1981, 1982) and Herbert and Toews (2012), but the low densities and use of insecticide hindered our ability to accurately determine multivoltinism for this species.…”

“…Insecticide treatments are sometimes warranted in corn adjacent to wheat (Reisig 2011). The predictable peak populations of stink bugs during squaring and the first WOB in cotton might permit more efficient usage of insecticides by timing an application to occur early in egg hatching or during the early instars, as suggested by Herbert and Toews (2012), preventing the peak populations of nymphs from developing. Including all species of stink bugs, reproductive stage soybean hosted the largest numbers of stink bugs, with cotton fields adjacent to soybean fields often hosting peak populations on the same day (Fig.…”

“…In a farmscape with grass borders between crops, no crop and adjacent effects were found, despite the crops being within flying range. Prior studies have suggested altering crop planting dates to avoid damage from bivoltine species (Herbert and Toews 2012), though such strategies were noted to be ineffective against multivoltine species. The stink bug complex must be examined with the varying life cycles of multiple species in mind.…”

Determination of Agronomical Characters as the Resistance Attributes of Twenty Soybean Varieties to Stink Bug (Nezara viridula L.)

“…In this reproductive phase, the stage from flowering to pod formation is important because the maximum stink bug infestation occurs in this stage (Biswas, 2013). The population of N. viridula at soybean reproductive stage is abundant (Herbert & Toews, 2012). Molina & Trumper (2012) reported that fifth instar nymphs to have a higher attraction than the adult females on the R7 and R8 of soybean pods stage.…”

The interaction between diet breadth, geography and gene flow in herbivorous insects

“…The availability and suitability of each host plant that N. viridula is associated with varies spatially and temporally (Herbert & Toews 2012;Panizzi 1997), with each host species providing, in its different life stages, some combination of nutrition, water, shelter, and reproductive suitability (Panizzi 1997(Panizzi , 2000Velasco & Walter 1992). …”