Preference by Adult Female Riptortus Clavatus Thunberg for Plants from the Fabaceae and Other Plant Families

Abstract: To obtain basic knowledge regarding the preference of adult female Riptortus clavatus for particular host plants, we investigated the preference of R. clavatus for green soybean, common bean, and cow pea as host plants, and between cow pea and either bell pepper, lettuce, cabbage, or cucumber. R. clavatus indicated a preference for cow pea over green soybean, followed by common bean. In addition, it was indicated that R. clavatus can distinguish among host plants. R. clavatus preferred cow pea over various non-host plants to a highly significant degree. These results clarified that adult female R. clavatus have strong ability to distinguish among host and non-host plants in the Fabaceae.