Predicting the Occurrence of Generation for Riptortus pedestris (Fabricius) Using Their Body Color

Riptortus pedestris (Fabricius) is one of the important insect pests of leguminous crops, which occurs in most areas of South Korea. It is hard to distinguish each generation in crop fields since not only the longevity of adult R. pedestris is long but also the developmental period is short. Especially, the 2nd generation adults cause enormous damage to soybean while the occurrence time is synchronized with the podding stage of soybean. Controlling the 1st generation of R. pedestris helps to decrease the damage by decreasing the 2nd generation density. This study was conducted to distinguish between the 1st generation and the overwintering generation by using differences in body coloration which is dependent on the day-length during the nymph stage. In addition, the difference was verified by the population dynamics model of R. pedestris. The occurrence time of 1st generation adults could be considered when the summer form is 20% or more. These results will be used for beneficial management decisions to reduce the 2nd generation population.