Frugivory by Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Alters Blueberry Fruit Chemistry and Preference by Conspecifics

Abstract

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål), is an invasive pest from Asia that feeds on many agricultural crops in the United States, including blueberries. Yet, the effects of H. halys feeding on fruit chemistry and induced resistance to insects remain unknown. Here we hypothesized that frugivory by H. halys changes fruit chemical composition, which in turn affects insect feeding behavior. In field experiments, blueberry fruit was either mechanically injured or injured by 0 (control), 2, 5, or 10 H. halys Total soluble solids (°Brix) and anthocyanin and phenolic content in injured and uninjured fruits, as well as their effects on feeding behavior by conspecifics, were measured subsequently in the laboratory. Results showed lower °Brix values in injured fruit as compared with uninjured fruit. Fruit injured by 2 and 5 H. halys also had 32 and 20% higher total phenolics, respectively, than the uninjured controls. The proportions of the anthocyanins derived from delphinidin, cyanidin, and petunidin increased, whereas those from malvidin decreased, in fruit after mechanical wounding and frugivory by H. halys In dual-choice tests, H. halys fed more often on uninjured fruit than those previously injured by conspecifics. These results show that frugivory by H. halys reduces the amounts of soluble solids, alters anthocyanin ratios, and increases levels of phenolics, and, as a result, injured fruits were a less preferred food source for conspecifics. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the effects of frugivory on fruit chemistry and induced fruit resistance against a fruit-eating herbivore.

Apple Fruit (Malus domestica Borkh.) Metabolic Response to Infestation by Invasive Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys Stal.)

“…Glucose also serves as a signaling molecule in plants and can increase in abiotically and biotically stressed plants [22,23]. In this study, the stink bug increased the total sugar content in the apples, which is in contrast to Zhou et al [24], who reported no noticeable reduction in sugar content between infested and uninfested blueberries.…”

Behavioural response of the invasive Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) to host plant stimuli augmented with semiochemicals in the field

“…Additionally, this may also include gustatory cues because H. halys often probes into host plants (Wiman et al ., ). Furthermore, feeding by H. halys induces changes in the nutritional quality of some plants, making them less preferred by conspecifics afterwards (Zhou et al ., ), suggesting an important role for fruit gustatory and volatile cues.…”

The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys Stål.) Influences Pungent and Non-Pungent Capsicum Cultivars’ Pre- and Post-Harvest Quality

“…With its large number of host plants, from ornamental plants to fruit and vegetable plants, it causes serious damage to agriculture in Europe and North America [8]. It causes damage to fruit such as apples, blueberries, etc., making them inedible for humans [9]. Several things have helped this pest to become so successful in spreading across the world, including climate change, lack of natural predators, and global trade [10].…”