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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Southern Insect Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #396515
Research Project: Insect Control and Resistance Management in Corn, Cotton, Sorghum, Soybean, and Sweet Potato, and Alternative Approaches to Tarnished Plant Bug Control in the Southern United States

Location: Southern Insect Management Research

Title: The impact of brown stink bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) damage during the seedling stage on field corn growth and yield

Author
item HARDMAN, WILLIAM - Mississippi State University
item CATCHOT, ANGUS - Mississippi State University
item GORE, JEFFERY - Mississippi State University
item HENRY, W.B. - Mississippi State University
item COOK, DON - Mississippi State University

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/27/2021
Publication Date: 5/27/2021
Citation: Hardman, W.C., Catchot, A.L., Gore, J., Henry, W., Cook, D.R. 2021. The impact of brown stink bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) damage during the seedling stage on field corn growth and yield. Journal of Economic Entomology. 114(4):1607-1612. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toab098.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toab098

Interpretive Summary: The brown stink bug is a common insect that can infest corn fields in the Mid-South and Southeastern U.S. Infestations and damage are sporadic, thus little research has been conducted on the impact of brown stink bug infesting corn seedlings. Two experiments were conducted in eleven commercial corn fields in the Mississippi Delta to evaluate the impact of damage from natural stink bug infestations during the seedling stage on corn yield and growth during 2018 and 2019. Single plants and 3-meter sections of the row were marked at each location. Plant damage for the single plant experiment was rated on a 0–3 scale and every single plant was given a damage rating based on visible symptomology. As damage severity increased, plant height and yield decreased. Some plants with the most severe damage did not produce any grain. At each location, sections of row (plots) with 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, or 40% damaged plants were identified. All levels of damaged plants resulted in lower yield compared to the nondamaged control. These results demonstrate the brown stink bug infestations during the seedling stage can reduce corn yield. The magnitude of yield reductions can be dependent on several factors including the severity of damage to individual plants and the percentage of plants with damage within the field. Although detecting infestations with current scouting methods is difficult, fields should be scouted and infestations managed to minimize yield loss.

Technical Abstract: Brown stink bug, Euschistus servus (Say) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a common insect that can infest corn fields in the Mid-South and Southeastern U.S. Infestations and damage are sporadic, thus little research has been conducted on the impact of brown stink bug infesting corn seedlings. Two experiments were conducted in eleven commercial corn fields in the Mississippi Delta to evaluate the impact of damage from natural stink bug infestations during the seedling stage (