Advancing sustainable rice production by evaluating Telenomus podisi as a biological control agent for stink bugs

Commodities

Practices

Rice stink bugs (Oebalus spp.) are late season pests of rice in the southern United States, where management relies on insecticide applications. This project will evaluate the potential of Telenomus podisi, an egg parasitoid of rice stink bugs, as a biological control agent to be integrated into current rice pest management programs in Florida. The project will have three objectives: First, molecularly characterize T. podisi populations collected from commercial rice fields in the Florida Everglades Agricultural Area to confirm species identity and generate baseline genetic data to support future biological control implementation. Second, quantify under laboratory conditions key biological traits that influence parasitoid performance, including fertility, longevity, emergence success, sex ratio, and development time. Completion of this objective will provide baseline information on parasitoid fitness and help estimate potential effectiveness against rice stink bugs. Third, evaluate the compatibility of T. podisi with current insecticide-based practices by testing parasitoid survival and parasitism after exposure to residues of a commonly used insecticide under simulated field degradation periods. Together, this work will generate practical information on parasitoid identity, performance, and compatibility with existing management, supporting the development of an integrated and more sustainable rice stink bug management strategy. Expected outcomes include improved knowledge about T. podisi in Florida rice systems, guidance for future biological control implementation, and information that may help reduce insecticide reliance while promoting long term profitability and environmental stewardship in southern rice production.

The proposed research project has three objectives:

1. Characterize T. podisi populations in Florida through molecular analysis

Defining the identity and variability of T. podisi in Florida will ensure consistency, support quality control, and enable comparisons with populations studied in other regions. This foundational step will reduce uncertainty and strengthen future steps to implement this parasitoid into a biological control program.

2. Quantify key biological traits of T. podisi that influence its effectiveness and reliability as a biological control agent

Assessing fertility, longevity, sex ratio, emergence success, and development time will determine parasitoid fitness and performance, providing essential information for a release strategy targeting rice stink bugs.

3. Evaluate the compatibility of T. podisi with current insecticide-based practices for an integrated pest management strategy

Assessing the effect of insecticide residue on T. podisi will determine how rice stink bug biological control could be integrated with insecticide to support the gradual transition toward more sustainable rice production.