Identification of soybean host plant resistance to brown marmorated stink bugs in maturity group III plant introductions

Authors: La Mantia, Jonathan; Mian, Rouf; Redinbaugh, Margaret

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/19/2017
Publication Date: 2/10/2018
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/6471016
Citation: La Mantia, J.M., Mian, R.M., Redinbaugh, M.G. 2018. Identification of soybean host plant resistance to brown marmorated stink bugs in maturity group III plant introductions. Journal of Economic Entomology. 111(1):428-434. https://doi: 10.1093/jee/tox295.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/tox295

Interpretive Summary: The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is an invasive insect pest native to Asia. BMSB was first identified in Pennsylvania in 1996 and has quickly become a severe agricultural pest in nine states from Tennessee to New York. BMSB are active from late spring to early fall where they feed on numerous fruits, vegetables, ornamentals, and crops. To feed, stink insert their straw-like stylet into fleshy plant tissues and suck out nutrients. On many crops the feeding pressure can significantly reduce yield. In addition, BMSB give off a persistent foul smell that can spoil foods. Moreover, BMSB overwinters in houses and factories where their "stink" is a nuisance to residents. During the late summer, adult BMSB fly to soybean fields to feed before they go dormant for the winter. Feeding damage on developing soybean pods can range from holes in seed to complete loss of seed, and these can reduce the value of soybeans for making high value products like tofu. Host plant resistance is an effective and environmentally sound approach for controlling the damage done by pests like BMSB, but methods for identifying resistance in soybeans and resistant soybean lines were not known. To identify sources of resistance, soybean plants were grown in insect proof field cages into which BMSB were released and allowed to feed during pod development. Over repeated tests in 2014 and 2015, two soybean lines from Asia were found that had lower frequency and severity of BMSB damage. The identification of these resistant lines provides a starting point to identify genes for BMSB resistance and the development of resistant soybean cultivars. If cultivars with sufficient resistance can be developed, they also have the potential to reduce BMSB populations.

Technical Abstract: Halyomorpha halys Stål (Hemiptera:Pentatomidae), brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), is a polyphagous non-native insect first found in the U.S. in 1996. As of 2017, BMSB has been detected in 43 states and is a severe agricultural pest in mid-Atlantic states. On soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr, damage from BMSB infestation ranges from puncture marks with seed discoloration and deformities to seed and pod abortion. Host plant resistance has been used for managing pest populations and mitigating soybean yield losses caused by neotropical stink bugs (Eushistus heros, Nezara viridula, and Piezodorus guildinii) in Brazil and on the U.S. Gulf Coast. We evaluated maturity group III plant introductions (PIs) for resistance to BMSB damage. In 2014, field cage choice tests of 106 PIs revealed a range of both BMSB damage incidence and severity. In 2015 field choice tests, PIs 085665 and 097139 showed the lowest incidence of BMSB damage and seed weight loss due to BMSB, while PIs 243532, 243540, and 567252 had the highest. In whole plant no-choice tests, PIs 085665 and 097139 also had high levels of resistance. However, PI 085665 had a higher incidence of damage incidence but lower seed weight loss than PI 097139, which may suggest bimodal resistance. Moreover, PIs 085665 and 097139 are from Japan and N. Korea, respectively, two geographically isolated countries where BMSB is native. Thus, further characterization of host plant resistance to BMSB in each of these lines may elucidate distinct mechanisms that could be synergistic if stacked in breeding lines.