Combined effect of timing, position and management on Halyomorpha halys feeding injury assessment on apple cultivars

Halyomorpha halys is an invasive stink bug, native to east Asia, responsible for extensive economic loss in numerous crops. Since several factors can influence the severity of the recorded injury level, we performed field and semi-field experiments in commercial apple orchards to monitor their interaction. To establish how position (both in the orchard and on the canopy), management and cultivar interact in determining pre-harvest injury levels, more than 100,000 apples, distributed over 106 orchard blocks, were examined in the field. Apples located higher in the canopy, on edge rows and in orchards with organic management had a higher number of external injuries and such factors were more relevant when occurring in combination, and on mid and late-season cultivars. Exclusion cages were used to assess if the injury severity changed with the apple growth stage and with the life stage of H. halys, exposing Red delicious apples to adults and nymphs for 48 hours, from May to July. Early-season injuries did not evolve in distinct depressions nor in wide areas with necrotic tissue. Later in season, the injury severity was higher and similar for adults and older nymphs (fourth and fifth instars), with the development of depressions externally and necrotic tissue internally. Thus, even a low number of individuals could cause severe damage, over a short exposure period, when it happened near full maturation. The combined results offer new insights to support the development of informed and sustainable control strategies.