Ecosystem-Based Incorporation of Nectar-Producing Plants for Stink Bug Parasitoids

Abstract

Adult parasitoids of pest insects rely on floral resources for survival and reproduction, but can be food-deprived in intensively managed agricultural systems lacking these resources. Stink bugs are serious pests for crops in southwest Georgia. Provisioning nectar-producing plants for parasitoids of stink bugs potentially can enhance biocontrol of these pests. Knowledge of spatial and temporal availability and distribution of stink bugs in host plants is necessary for appropriate timing and placement of flowering plants in agroecosystems. Stink bugs move between closely associated host plants throughout the growing season in response to deteriorating suitability of their host plants. In peanut-cotton farmscapes, stink bugs develop in peanut, and subsequently the adults disperse into adjacent cotton. Parasitism of Nezara viridula (L.) adults by Trichopoda pennipes (F.) at the peanut-cotton interface was significantly higher in cotton with a strip of milkweed or buckwheat between the two crops than in cotton alone. Milkweed and buckwheat also provided nectar to a wide range of insect pollinators. Monarch butterflies fed on milkweed. When placed between peanut and cotton, a strip of soybean was an effective trap crop for cotton, reducing economic damage. Incorporation of buckwheat near soybean enhanced parasitism of Euschistus servus (Say) eggs by Telenomus podisi Ashmead in cotton. In conclusion, nectar provision enhances biocontrol of stink bugs, acts together with other management tactics for stink bug control, and aids in conservation of natural enemies, insect pollinators, and the monarch butterfly.

Biological control of invasive stink bugs: review of global state and future prospects

“…The combination of classical biological control followed by conservation methods and integrated with other sustainable control methods targeting the various instars should provide interesting prospects for the improvement of stink bug control efficacy (Figure 1). Conservation biological control, through a provision of suitable nectar-producing flowering plants, can attract and improve the efficacy of both parasitoids attacking adults (Tillman & Carpenter, 2014;Tillman, 2017) and egg parasitoids (Foti et al, 2017(Foti et al, , 2019. The application of semiochemicals on crops or inducing them in plants by applying elicitors might also facilitate recruitment of parasitoid species attacking adults (Jang & Park, 2010;Jang et al, 2011) or eggs (Borges et al, 1998;Lim & Mainali, 2013), although a consequent improvement of parasitism has yet to be demonstrated with these applications (Blassioli Moraes et al, 2009;Vieira, 2010;Vieira et al, 2013).…”

“…Although increasing habitat diversity per se may not lead to a consistent enhancement of pest control (Karp et al, 2018), it has been advocated that the 'right kind of diversity' is necessary, meaning that the traits of selected flowering plants must match the requirements of the targeted biocontrol agent (van Rijn & W€ ackers, 2016). For example, corolla length and floral scent have been shown to be decisive features that confer a certain degree of specificity in the interactions between flowers and visiting insects (Tillman, 2017). In recent years, conserving and enhancing natural enemies for controlling phytophagous stink bugs by providing floral resources have been receiving increased interest (Tillman, 2017).…”

“…Changes in geographical distribution may profoundly affect its status as agricultural pest, particularly in the newly invaded areas. Given the need for sustainable management solutions, the possibility of combining the release of natural enemies with cost‐effective approaches that involve habitat manipulation as a conservation biocontrol measure can be a valuable alternative to pesticides for controlling stink bug populations (Tillman, 2017).…”

“…Similarly, flowering buckwheat, Fagopyrum esculentum Moench (Polygonaceae), was able to increase the efficacy of Tric. pennipes parasitizing N. viridula in cotton (Tillman, 2017).…”

Distribución actualizada y fenología de <em>Trichopoda pennipes</em> (Fabricius, 1781) (Diptera: Tachinidae) en la Península Ibérica

“…Suelen observarse en días soleados sobrevolando las flores o posados con las alas extendidas (Worthley, 1924). En sus hábitats de origen, se sabe que visitan flores de Anacardiaceae, Apiaceae, Asclepiadaceae, Asteraceae, Caprifoliaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Lamiaceae, Liliaceae, Polygonaceae y Rutaceae, entre otras (Tillman, 2017;Tooker et al, 2006). Las larvas de T. pennipes pasan el invierno dentro del huésped, y los imagos emergen en la siguiente primavera o principios del verano, si bien en condiciones climáticas óptimas pueden presentar dos o tres generaciones al año (Pétremand et al, 2015).…”