What makes plants attractive for a polyphagous bug? Investigations on host plant selection of Halyomorpha halys for developing a new plant protection strategy for organic farming
The Brown Marmorated Stink bug (BMSB) Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is an invasive, polyphagous pest insect native to Eastern Asia that causes serious damage in fruit and vegetable farming. No effective plant protection is available in Germany for organic or integrated farming. It is still unknown how BMSB decides whether a plant is a suitable host for feeding. In order to investigate this, a field monitoring of the bugs on different crops was conducted. When high abundances of BMSB on one specific crop were observed, plant volatiles were collected, analysed, and colour spectra of fruit and leaves were measured. Compounds that were found to be shared among all crops were tested using electroantennography. Identifying olfactory and visual cues are the first steps in finding a potential attractant that could then be used in an innovative capsule based attract-and-kill strategy.
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