Evaluating impacts of brown marmorated stink bug on non-fruiting nursery crops

Authors: SKILLMAN, VICTORIA - Oregon State University; Lee, Jana

Submitted to: Journal of Environmental Horticulture
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/15/2017
Publication Date: 9/1/2017
Citation: Skillman, V., Lee, J.C. 2017. Evaluating impacts of brown marmorated stink bug on non-fruiting nursery crops. Journal of Environmental Horticulture. 35(3):93-98.

Interpretive Summary: The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) has become a major pest and nuisance since it arrived in the US in 1998 for both agricultural growers and homeowners. They can feed on ~200 different plant species, several of which are important ornamental crop species. The aesthetic damage they cause is well known but there is little information on how their feeding can impact plant growth. Two experiments examined how BMSB feeding might damage nursery crops. The first study looked at adult BMSB feeding damage on branches of established trees in a stock block of five plant species over one month. The second study looked at adult BMSB feeding on seedlings of eight plant species at one month and two month time points. In this study, the same four measurements were taken as well as change in trunk diameter to assess feeding damage by BMSB. Four to five physical measurements were taken to assess damage by BMSB: branch length, total leaf area, total number of leaves, total dry weight, and trunk diameter. Overall there was very little difference between branches caged with BMSB or none (control) for one month in the field for the four physical measurements taken. There were also few differences between seedlings with BMSB or none for the five physical measurements taken. However, in both studies the adults were able to reproduce on the plants without fruiting structures.

Technical Abstract: Halyomorpha halys, commonly known as the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), has become a major pest and nuisance since it arrived in the US in 1998 for both agricultural growers and homeowners. They can feed on ~200 different plant species, several of which are important ornamental crop species. The aesthetic damage they cause is well known but there is little information on how their feeding can impact plant growth. Therefore, two experiments were designed to examine how BMSB feeding might damage nursery crops. The first study looked at adult BMSB feeding damage on branches of established trees in a stock block of five plant species over one month. Four physical measurements were taken to assess damage by BMSB; branch length, total leaf area, total number of leaves, and total dry weight. The second study looked at adult BMSB feeding on seedlings of eight plant species at one month and two month time points. In this study, the same four measurements were taken as well as change in trunk diameter to assess feeding damage by BMSB. Overall there was very little difference between branches caged with BMSB or none (control) for one month in the field for the four physical measurements taken. There were also few differences between seedlings with BMSB or none for the five physical measurements taken. However, in both studies the adults did reproduce, with 363 nymphs developing to the 2nd instar stage in the seedling trial.