Southern Green Stink Bug: Influence on Yield and Quality of Soybeans

Abstract
Populations of Nezara viridula (L.) caged on soybeans at the plant stage at which a pod is just visible at one of the 4 upper nodes or at the stage which the 1st bean is just beginning to develop at one of these nodes increased 48 to 80-fold over a period of 49 or 36 days, respectively. There were no increases on soybeans infested at the stage at which pods are yellowing and 50% of the leaves are yellowing. The only statistically significant differences in seed yield or quality due to the feeding of the southern green stink bug occurred at the first of these soybean stages when the initial populations of bugs were 16 or 32/16 ft of row.