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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Kearneysville, West Virginia » Appalachian Fruit Research Laboratory » Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #325704
Title: Host plant effects on Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) nymphal development and survivorship

Author
item ACEBES-DORIA, ANGELITA - Virginia Tech
item Leskey, Tracy
item BERGH, CHRISTOPHER - Virginia Tech

Submitted to: Environmental Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/20/2016
Publication Date: 3/24/2016
Citation: Acebes-Doria, A.L., Leskey, T.C., Bergh, C. 2016. Host plant effects on Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) nymphal development and survivorship. Environmental Entomology. 45:663-670.

Interpretive Summary: The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is a highly destructive invasive species of many crops in the US. In the mid-Atlantic, it is a serious pest of orchard crops and in this region, wild hosts of BMSB are common in woodlands that often border orchards. To improve our understanding of how different host plants affect BMSB populations at the orchard-woodland interface, we assessed survivorship and developmental duration of the juvenile nymphal stage and adult fitness on apple, peach, Tree of Heaven, and northern catalpa. Specifically, we investigated nymphal performance on the foliage and fruiting structures of those hosts and on single versus mixed host diets. Nymphal survivorship was poor on a diet of foliage alone, regardless of host. When fruiting structures were combined with foliage, peach was highly suitable for nymphal development and survivorship, while apple, Tree of Heaven, and catalpa were less so, although nymphal survival on Tree of Heaven was much greater later in the season than earlier. Mixed host diets yielded increased nymphal survivorship and decreased developmental duration compared with diets of suboptimal single hosts such as apple and Tree of Heaven. Our results demonstrate that BMSB may require multiple hosts and therefore, move between the orchard-woodland interface at some frequency.

Technical Abstract: Halyomorpha halys Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is a highly polyphagous invasive species and an important pest of orchard crops in the US. In the Mid-Atlantic region, wild hosts of H. halys are common in woodlands that often border orchards, and H. halys movement from them into orchards poses ongoing management issues. To improve our understanding of host plant effects on H. halys populations at the orchard-woodland interface, nymphal survivorship, developmental duration, and adult fitness (size and fresh weight) on apple (Malus domestica Borkh.), peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch), Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima Mill. Swingle), and northern catalpa (Catalpa speciosa Warder) were examined in laboratory studies. Specifically, we investigated nymphal performance on the foliage and fruiting structures of those hosts and on single versus mixed host diets, as well as the effects of host phenology on their suitability. Nymphal performance was poor on a diet of foliage alone, regardless of host. When fruiting structures were combined with foliage, peach was highly suitable for nymphal development and survivorship, while apple, Tree of Heaven, and catalpa were less so, although nymphal survival on Tree of Heaven was much greater later in the season than earlier. Mixed host diets yielded increased nymphal survivorship and decreased developmental duration compared with diets of suboptimal single hosts. Adult size and weight were generally greater when they developed from nymphs reared on mixed diets. The implications of our results to the dispersal behavior, establishment, and management of H. halys are discussed.