A study was conducted in the laboratory to test the suitability of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] pods at different phenological stages of development (R3-R8) on the performance of nymphs and adults of the small green stink bug Piezodorus guildinii (Westwood) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). Nymphs and adults showed better performance when fed on soybean pods during the pod-filling stage (R5-R6), compared to those fed on soybean pods at the remaining stages of development. When fed on soybean pods without seeds (R3-R4) no nymphs survived and no adults reproduced.
Heteroptera; Pentatomidae; stink bug; Glycine max; soybean pod phenology; biology