Attractiveness of the kudzu bug (Megacopta cribraria) to different legume varieties: in the quest for better management options

Native to Asia, the kudzu bug (Megacopta cribraria) was first detected in the United States in 2009 in the Southeastern state of Georgia. Its distribution since then has rapidly expanded across the Southeast, and is currently established in 14 states. In a bid to curb the spread of M. cribraria and reduce its threat as a pest of legumes especially soybean; an economically important crop in the US, we compared the attractiveness of M. cribraria to different legume varieties (soybean, fordhook lima bean, speck bean and Jackson bean) in screen house and laboratory experiments. The ultimate goal is to identify potential trap crops and host plant-based semiochemical attractants that could be used for detection, monitoring and management of M. cribraria in the Southern U.S. We hypothesized that i) M. cribraria will show stronger attraction to some legume varieties compared to soybean and ii) attraction is mediated by host plant semiochemicals. First, the attraction of M. cribraria to the legume varieties was evaluated based on multiple-choice bioassays conducted in the screen house. Response of adult kudzu bugs to headspace volatiles of tested legume varieties was further studied in the laboratory using 4-choice olfactometers to determine the role of plant volatiles in mediating host preference. The results of this study will be discussed in the context of current and prospective management options for the control of kudzu bug in the Southeastern United States.