#phaseoleae

Kennedia nigricans

27-SEP-2025

why is gabi on anon

Groundnut (by Dendroica cerulea)

Kudzu-Eating Stinkbug May Attack US Soybeans

Kudzu (Pueraria montana) was first introduced to the United States as an ornamental plant in the 19th century and later promoted to farmers in the Southeast as a means of controlling soil erosion. But now the plant is considered a problematic invasive species and a pest, as it coils over trees and shrubs, often sealing their death by blocking sunlight.

Kudzu bugs (Megacopta cribraria), meanwhile, which are also native to Asia, were only detected for the first time in the United States in Georgia in 2009. Because of their diet and lifecycle, the pungent-smelling insects were thought to be largely limited to areas where they could find the invading vine, their favorite meal.

Based on observations in the wild, researchers believed the eggs of kudzu bugs that hatched during the spring were part of a first generation, "Generation A," which would eat only kudzu during their immature phase before graduating to soybeans during adulthood. It was thought that their offspring, "Generation B," posed a greater threat, as they hatched during the summer and could eat soybean crops throughout their lifetime.

But in a greenhouse laboratory, researchers at North Carolina State University found that baby Generation A kudzu bugs did not have a restricted kudzu diet. These immature insects were able to live off soybeans alone, and they reached maturity and reproduced, the researchers said. And the bugs didn't thrive on just any legume; greenhouse experiments using snap beans instead of soybeans failed to produce the same results.

(via LiveScience)