Effect of Soybean Volatiles on the Behavior of the Bean Bug, Riptortus pedestris

The bean bug, Riptortus pedestris, is a polyphagous insect that feeds primarily on leguminous plants, especially soybean (Glycine max). Although the bean bug is an economically important pest of soybean, little is known about how the insect locates soybean fields. In this study, we examined the electroantennogram responses of R. pedestris to soybean volatiles and examined the behavioral responses of the adult bean bugs. R. pedestris adults were attracted more to their host-plant soybean, even when physical contact was absent, than to air or a non-host plant. Accordingly, we hypothesized that R. pedestris can recognize soybean through a plant's volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Five VOCs were identified from intact soybean plants at the vegetative stage: (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol, (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate, 4-ethylbenzaldehyde, α-farnesene, and methyl salicylate. Response spectra of the antennae to these volatiles clearly showed that both male and female R. pedestris can detect soybean volatiles. The adult bean bugs did not show behavioral orientation to any individual compounds but showed significant orientation to a particular blend of synthetic soybean volatiles when tested under laboratory conditions. In the field, this soybean volatile blend did not significantly attract the bean bugs, but it did interact synergistically with the aggregation pheromone to attract the bean bugs. These results highlight the role of host plant volatiles in the sensory ecology of R. pedestris and help explain colonization pattern of the bean bugs in soybean fields.