The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of soybean volatiles, induced by the herbivory of the stink bugs Euschistus heros and Nezara viridula, on the host searching behavior of the parasitoids Telenomus podisi and Trissolcus basalis. Plants injured by the feeding activity of the stink bugs were used as stimuli in bioassays with parasitoid females in a two-choice Y type olfactometer. Telenomus podisi responded only to volatiles released by soybean after herbivory injury of E. heros, their preferential host. Trissolcus basalis did not respond to plants injured by the stink bugs. The obtained results indicate the existence of species-specific interactions in the tri-trophic system soybean-stink bug-egg parasitoids.
searching behavior; biological control; preferential host; tri-trophic interactions; two choice olfactometer; plant volatiles
