Damage Potential and Feeding Preference of Halyomorpha halys (Stål), Nezara viridula (L.), and Leptoglossus zonatus (Dallas) Among Different Ripening Stages of Tomato

TL;DR

This study finds that stink bugs and leaf-footed bugs prefer feeding on unripe or pink tomatoes, with fully ripe tomatoes being least preferred, helping guide pest management strategies.

Contribution

The study identifies specific ripening stage preferences of three insect pests on tomatoes, which is novel for pest monitoring and management.

Findings

Southern Green Stink Bug and Western Leaf-footed Bug prefer green tomatoes.

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug prefers pink tomatoes.

Fully ripe red tomatoes are least preferred by all three insect species.

Abstract

Stink bugs and leaf-footed bugs are common insect pests of tomato that cause feeding damage by creating yellowish spots on the fruit surface. Green, unripe tomatoes undergo multiple ripening stages: the fully unripe green stage, the yellowish–green colored breaker stage, the orange-colored pink stage, and the fully ripe red stage. It has not been well studied whether stink bugs and leaf-footed bugs have a preferred tomato ripening stage to feed on. This is critical information for growers, because the most preferred ripening stage is the most vulnerable to stink bug infestation and damage. We conducted two experiments to determine the most preferred tomato ripening stage for some common stink bugs, including the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB), the Southern Green Stink Bug (SGSB), and the Western Leaf-footed Bug (WLB). Our experiments indicated that green is the most preferred ripening stage by SGSB and WLB, while pink was found to be preferred by BMSB. Fully ripe red tomatoes were found to be the least preferred feeding site for all three insects. The findings of our study provide valuable information for developing stink bug and leaf-footed bug monitoring programs and determining when to take immediate action to manage these pests in the field.

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most preferred hosts of polyphagous stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) and leaf-footed bugs (Hemiptera: Coreidae). These hemipterans can infest tomato fruits at all stages of fruit ripening. However, it is unclear whether there is any feeding preference for these true bugs among different ripening stages of tomato (green, breaker, pink, and red stages). Feeding and behavioral assays were performed to determine the feeding preference and damage potential of two common stink bugs—the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys (Stål)) and the southern green stink bug (Nezara viridula L.)—and a leaf-footed bug (Leptoglossus zonatus (Dallas)) among the various ripening stages of tomato. The results indicated that green is the most preferred ripening stage for N. viridula and L. zonatus, while pink tomatoes were found to be a more preferred feeding site for H. halys. Fully ripe red tomatoes were found to be the least preferred feeding site for all three insects. The findings of this study will be useful for developing fruit damage symptom-based monitoring programs and establishing economic threshold levels for these pests in tomatoes, as well as informing harvesting regimes.

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