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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Parlier, California » San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center » Commodity Protection and Quality Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #403682
Research Project: Improved Systems-based Approaches that Maintain Commodity Quality and Control of Arthropod Pests Important to U.S. Agricultural Production, Trade and Quarantine

Location: Commodity Protection and Quality Research

Title: Edge effects of invasive brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, infestation and damage in almond orchards

Author
item RIJAL,, JHALENDRA - University Of California Agriculture And Natural Resources (UCANR)
item Bansal, Raman
item GYAWALY, SUDAN - University Of California Agriculture And Natural Resources (UCANR)

Submitted to: Acta Horticulturae
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/4/2023
Publication Date: 10/21/2024
Citation: Rijal,, J., Bansal, R., Gyawaly, S. 2024. Edge effects of invasive brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, infestation and damage in almond orchards. Acta Horticulturae. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2024.1406.52.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2024.1406.52

Interpretive Summary: In California almonds, there are many types of bugs that can cause damage to the growing nuts. Some of the most common bugs are leaffooted bugs and green stink bugs. Recently, the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) causing damage to almonds was found in some areas of California. This study evaluated the damage these bugs were causing to almonds at the edge of the orchard compared to the inside. The BMSB and other bugs were found to cause more damage to almonds at the edge of the orchard than inside. This means that it's important to manage these bugs at the edge of the orchard to protect the almonds from damage.

Technical Abstract: The invasive brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys, was first found in an almond orchard in 2017 and is currently prevalent in northern San Joaquin Valley and some areas of the southern San Joaquin Valley. BMSB can cause substantial damage to the developing nuts, resulting in economic loss for growers. Here, we investigated the edge effects of BMSB in almonds. We found that BMSB is a heavily border-driven pest in almonds as the degree of damage was substantially higher in the orchard edge (border rows) compared to the interior of the orchard. In the first study, we found that the average percent kernel damage at the orchard edge was over 25%, statistically higher than all other interior distances (12.2, 24.4, 36.6, 48.8, and 61.0 m). Likewise, early-season nut drops and mid-season injuries to green nuts were significantly higher in the orchard edge. In another study to evaluate the edge effect by assessing harvest samples from multiple BMSB-infested orchards, we found that the average kernel damage by hemipterans, including BMSB, was two times higher in the edge compared to the interior (~60 m into the orchard). The implications of these study results are discussed in the context of improving the monitoring and management of BMSB and other hemipteran pests in almond orchards.