Temporal variation and spatial distribution of Piezodorus guildinii (Weestwood, 1837) in soybean ( Glycine max (L.) Merrill)

Abstract

The red-banded stink bug, Piezodorus guildinii , is an important pest in soybean. Information on its distribution is needed to determine the most effective timing for pest control and strategies to avoid yield losses, such as adequate monitoring. The present study was aimed at examining the temporal variation and spatial distribution of P. guildinii in soybean. The experimental design comprised an area of 5400 m² planted with soybean, with 54 plots of 100 m² each, in which plants were examined weekly for nymphs and adults of P. guildinii with a beating sheet. Evaluations were carried out from soybean emergence to harvest; however, P. guildinii occurred only during the reproductive stage. Based on aggregation indices, theoretical frequency distributions, and semivariograms, nymphs and adults were randomly distributed at the beginning of infestation but, tended to be aggregate during pod setting and seed filling. Our findings have a contribution to improving pest sampling systems and infestation mapping, including future semiochemi-cals studies.