ARS | Publication request: Characteristics of Stink Bug Damage to Mid and Late Season Apples

Submitted to: Journal Of Agricultural And Urban Entomology
Publication Acceptance Date: April 16, 2004
Publication Date: August 9, 2004
Citation: Brown, M.W. 2004. Characteristics Of Stink Bug Damage To Mid And Late Season Apples. Journal Of Agricultural And Urban Entomology 2003 Vol. 20(4):193-202.

Interpretive Summary: The production of high quality apples requires knowledge of what causes the various injuries to harvested fruit. It has recently been shown that damage previously considered to be related to inadequate plant mineral nutrition is actually being caused by stink bugs feeding on the fruit. In this study, fruit were caged with and without stink bugs to prove that stink bugs are the cause of this injury and to fully describe the damage. Further experiments were done adding specific mineral nutrients to orchards to show that the damage can not be reduced by adding nutrients. This information will be used by orchard pest management specialists, horticulturists and growers to properly identify and manage the quality of apples produced.

Technical Abstract: Stink bugs (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) were found to feed on apples in mid to late season. Stink bug feeding damage has been confused with cork spot, but differs in three ways: 1) that the edge of the depressed fruit surface from stink bug feeding is gradual instead of abrupt as in cork spot, 2) the corked flesh is always immediately beneath the skin in stink bug damage but can be anywhere in the flesh for cork spot, and 3) the presence of a puncture site from stink bug feeding. Application of foliar calcium chloride did not affect the occurrence of corking damage related to stink bug feeding, and the fruit flesh immediately below the skin in stink bug damaged fruit had the same concentration of calcium and boron as fruit flesh from undamaged fruit. Damage caused by stink bugs was eliminated by caging fruit in early July, whereas, damage was higher on fruit caged with stink bugs for a two week period between late July and harvest than on fruit that were not caged.