A study published in the Pest Management Science journal has revealed critical periods for using parasitoids in the biological control of the global brown marmorated stink bug pest which has been threatening kiwifruit crops in China, Italy and Greece.
CABI scientists – including those from the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA)-CABI Joint Laboratory (Joint Lab) – participated in the research to better understand the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) and the use of parasitoids such as the Asian Samurai Wasp (Trissolcus japonicus).
The brown marmorated stink bug is a global pest which, in 2016, caused $60m worth of damage to Georgia’s hazelnut (a third of its crop) and in 2010, $37m worth of apples were destroyed in parts of the USA.
Kiwifruit industry’s second-most unwanted biosecurity threat after fruit flies
It is the kiwifruit industry’s second-most unwanted biosecurity threat after fruit flies and the risk of it entering New Zealand is considered extreme. If it were to enter New Zealand it would have no problem establishing due to New Zealand’s highly suitable climate and abundance of host material. Its entry and establishment would result in significant production impacts to many horticultural industries including kiwifruit.
The scientists – whose research was funded by Zespri International, the world’s largest marketer of kiwifruit, selling in over 50 countries, sought to investigate the patterns of seasonal occurrence of the brown marmorated stink bug in 2019, 2021 and 2022.
They also endeavoured to better understand feeding damage caused by the pest in kiwifruit orchards with difference management systems (conventional and organic) in Shaanxi Province, China, in 2019 and 2021.
Populations were slightly higher in the organic orchard
Dr Jinping Zhang.
The scientists found that brown marmorated stink bug populations were slightly higher in the organic orchard, with two distinctive generations recorded annually and three adult population peaks detected by pheromone traps in both organic and conventional experimental orchards.
Overall, the first peak, from overwintering adults, occurred in mid-May, the second peak in mid-July, and the largest peak in mid-to late-September. Nymphs started to be detected in late-May and continued to occur throughout the season. Two peaks of eggs were observed: the first from mid-May to early-June and the second from mid-July to early-August.
Weekly assessments revealed feeding damage in kiwifruit from fruit set to harvest, peaking at 40% in conventional and 59% in organic orchards in October 2019. In 2021, peak damages reached 30% and 60% in conventional and organic orchards, respectively, with no significant differences in overall damage rates between the systems.
Three peaks in the adult population in all monitoring years
Dr Jinping Zhang, Senior Project Scientist at CABI and an author of the study, said, “This study provided first-hand information on the phenology of brown marmorated stink bug on kiwifruit orchards in north-western China.
“Pheromone trapping revealed three peaks in the adult population in all monitoring years, first for overwintering adults from previous season and then, two more which represented the actual brown marmorated stink bug generations during the fruit growing season. Moreover, there were two peaks observed for brown marmorated stink bug egg masses by visual inspections.
“The presence of brown marmorated stink bug nymphs were sustained from the beginning of June to end September, where most nymphs were captured between August and September due to overlapping generations. Our results thus confirmed the presence of two brown marmorated stink bug generations per year occurring in the surveyed organic and conventional kiwifruit orchards.”
Two dominant egg parasitoids of brown marmorated stink bug
Dr Zhang added that brown marmorated stink bug egg parasitoids, such as Trissolcus japonicus (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) and Anastatus japonicus (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae), were confirmed to be the two dominant egg parasitoids of brown marmorated stink bug in northern China.
She said the biological control potential of T. japonicus and Anastatus japonicus has been tested by singly or combined releases in exclusion cages on kiwifruit vines. Also, T. japonicus and Trissolcus cultratus have been confirmed as the most abundant parasitoids in kiwifruit orchard in Shaanxi Province, China.
Trissolcus japonicus parasitizing Halyomorpha halys (Credit: CABI).
Dr Zhang added, “Based on the phenology observed in the study orchards and observations made by Avila et al. on parasitoids abundance and diversity in kiwifruit orchard in Shaanxi Province, China (same orchards used in our study), we suggest conducting augmentative releases of either T. japonicus or T. cultratus in early May (i.e., start of first brown marmorated stink bug generation), to attempt suppression of the first brown marmorated stink bug generation.”
However, she stressed that additional research is needed to accurately determine an optimum release frequency and numbers of parasitoids to release in each release event. A second critical time to conduct releases would be by mid-to end-July and early August, when the second generation of brown marmorated stink bug egg masses occur in the field.
“The present study lays the foundation for further understanding of brown marmorated stink bug occurrence and impacts on kiwifruit in organic and conventional orchards, and also for the development of ecology-based integrated pest management approaches against this destructive insect pest,” she said.
Additional information
Main image: Brown marmorated stink bug is a significant threat to kiwifruit, but researchers highlight critical periods for using parasitoids as sustainable biological control agents to tackle the pest (Credit: CABI).
Full paper reference
Zhang, J.-P., Chen, J.-H., Liu, Z.-D., Li, W.-J., Alavi, M., Tian, X.-Y., Shi, S.-S., Zhang, F. and Avila, G.A. (2025), Seasonal occurrence of brown marmorated stink bug and its impact in organic and conventional kiwifruit orchards in north-western China. Pest Manag Sci. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.8812
The paper can be read open access here.
Publications
Chen JH, Avila GA., Zhang F, Lindy FG, Sandanayaka M, Mi QQ, Shi SS, Zhang JP. (2020). Field cage assessment of feeding damage by Halyomorpha halys on kiwifruit orchards in China. Journal of Pest Science. 93(3):953-963. DOI: 10.1007/s10340-020-01216-8
Avila, G., Chen, J., Li, W., A Gene cloning lavi, M., Mi., Q, Sandanayaka, M., Zhang, F., Zhang, J. 2021. Seasonal abundance and diversity of egg parasitoids of Halyomorpha halys in kiwifruit orchards in China. Insects. 12(5): 428. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12050428
Li, W.J., Chen, J.H., Avila, G.A., Ali, M.Y., Tian X.Y., Luo, Z.Y., Zhang, F., Shi, S.S., Zhang, J.P. (2023). Performance of two egg parasitoids of brown marmorated stink bug before and after cold storage. Frontiers in Physiology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2023.1102216
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