Evaluating green stink bug damage to edamame soybeans

Edamame soybeans are a new crop to Arkansas and existing thresholds for conventional soybeans will likely not apply to this crop.  A major pest of conventional soybeans in Arkansas is the green stink bug and it will likely be an important pest of edamame.  Trials were conducted by caging green stink bugs on edamame soybean at densities of 0, 0.55, 1.64, or 3.28 stink bug adults per row meter for 7 days.  Pods were hand harvested for yield and average pod weights were calculated.  Pods were also stained to detect the presence of stink bug salivary sheaths, relating this to damage.   No differences were found in yield, average pod weight or damage when compared to stink bug densities although numerical differences were observed.  These data will provide insight on how to better design future stink bug threshold studies on edamame.