Sap sucking heteropteran cereal bugs—members of the Eurygaster and Aelia genus—are serious pests of wheat. Moreover, they feed on a variety of gramineous plant species, including rye, barley, oat, maize, and millet. They are widely distributed in the European continent. The purpose of this review paper is two-fold; it summarizes the currently available data on the biological characteristics, the inflicted damage, and their European distribution and, in addition, we aimed to determine their economic importance, based on data available in the current literature. For the most important cereal bug species, we have collected data on their occurrence in Europe to provide a comprehensive picture of their distribution, and characterized them according to their temperature requirements at different life stages. We have also determined the degree of their attachment to wheat as their host plant, examining the synchronization between the pests and the life cycle of the plant. Finally, we compared their migration characteristics. All the above-mentioned characteristics were merged, in order to assess and rank the damage potential of each species.

The granary weevil, Sitophilus granarius (L.), is considered a serious pest in stored grain worldwide. As residual-based protection possibilities become scarcer, the development of eco-friendly control technologies that can be implemented in practice is becoming urgent. In this spirit, our objective was to assess the effectiveness of different levels of atmospheric cooling against S. granarius under laboratory conditions. We also analysed the effects of cooling on progeny generation and the viability of treated wheat. Thus, we investigated the consequences of atmospheric exposures to temperatures of −5, −10, −15, −20, and −25 °C for 60, 75, and 90 min on these factors, and also explored the effects of nearby ranges using extrapolation. The viability of the treated wheat embryo was analysed using a TTC test. Our results showed that the highest efficacy was observed at an atmospheric cooling temperature of −25 °C (with a parallel recorded temperature of −10.5 °C in the stored grains zone), with a 90 min exposure at suboptimal relative humidity (40%). At 60% relative humidity, the mortality averages were more dispersed, and the expected efficiencies above 95% occurred at longer exposures. The post-suppressive effect of cooling can be confirmed in all three exposures. The different cooling temperatures of the tested exposure times did not produce any appreciable changes in the viability of treated wheat embryos. In conclusion, our results show that the use of atmospheric cooling can be an effective solution for stored product protection.

Qualitative and quantitative parameters of tomatoes are impaired by Halyomorpha halys Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), which cause severe economic losses worldwide. Our aims were to assess H. halys-induced tissue damage in tomatoes via computer tomography and to confirm the results of imaging obtained by analytical methods. Our examination confirmed the intensification of the change in the inner structure of damaged tomatoes as a function of time. The tendency of this destruction triggered by bug saliva grew exponentially from the exocarp layer to the inner placenta. The destruction of the plant tissue was aggravated by an increase in the number of bugs, as it was unequivocally evinced by the shell thickness assays. The results of the assessment of the antioxidant capacity of tomato mesocarp showed a distinct decrease in the antioxidant capacity of the samples obtained from H. halys-infested tomatoes. This indicates that the ferric-reducing antioxidant power value was related to the degradation processes of the mesocarp tissue in tomato fruit caused by the watery saliva released by H. halys. The presented experimental method can be suitable for the qualitative control of the vegetable items intended for trade, which can help for the isolation of tomatoes damaged by bugs immediately after harvest.

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is an important leguminous plant, in which pests trigger significant damage every year. Important members of this community are insects with piercing‐sucking mouthpart, especially the southern green stinkbug, Nezara viridula L.. This insect with its extraoral digestion causes visible alterations (morphological and color changes) in the seeds. We aimed to obtain precise information about the extent and nature of damage in soybeans caused by N. viridula using nondestructive imaging methods. Two infestation conditions were applied: one with controlled numbers of pests (six insects/15 pods) and another with naturally occurring pests (samples collected from the apical part of the plant and samples from whole plants). An intact control group was also included, resulting in four treatment groups. Seed samples were analyzed by computed tomography (CT) and image color analysis under laboratory conditions. According to our CT findings, the damage caused by N. viridula changed the radiodensity, volume, and shape (Solidity) of the soybean seeds during the pod‐filling and maturing period. Radiodensity was significantly reduced in all three damaged categories compared to the intact sample; the mean radiodensity reduction range was 49–412 HU. The seed volume also decreased significantly (25%–80% decrease), with a threefold reduction for samples exposed to regulated damage compared to natural ones. The samples exposed to natural damage showed significant but minor reduction in solidity, while samples exposed to regulated damage showed a prominent decrease (~12%). Image color analysis showed that the damaged samples were well distinguishable, and the differences were statistically verifiable. The achieved data derived from our external and internal imaging approaches contribute to a better understanding of the internal chemical processes, and CT analysis helps to understand the alteration trends of the hidden structure of seeds caused by a pest. Our results can contribute to the development of a practically applicable system based on image analysis, which can identify lots damaged by insects.

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of different exposures of UV-C radiation (253.2 nm) (5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 mins) on the mortality of adult stages of four stored product pests: Sitophilus granarius L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) as a primary pest, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Col.: Tenebrionidae), Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens) (Col.: Laemophloeidae) and Oryzaephilus surinamensis (Ganglbauer) (Col.: Silvanidae) as secondary pests. Additionally, the viability of treated maize and wheat grains influenced by UV-C radiation (10 mins of UV-C at a distance of 22 cm) was analyzed by using a tetrazolium test. Insect rearing was carried out at 26 ± 2°C, 60 ± 7% RH, 16/8 photoperiod. Our results confirmed that a longer exposure (25 min.) to UV-C corresponded with higher mortality over time. In the elapsed time after radiation treatment as a function of exposure, the mortality was characterized by a power trend line for each examined insect species. S. granarius, as the primary stored product pest, in the crop treated by shorter exposure may prevent subsequent infestation of secondary stored product pests (T. castaneum, C. ferrugineus, O. surinamensis). The tetrazolium test showed that wheat seeds were more sensitive to UV-C radiation than maize seeds. This pest elimination technique is primarily recommended in environments exempted from viable stored seeds. UV-C irradiation of stored products could be an effective non-chemical practice against arthropod pests that move on the surface.

Main European sap‐sucking cereal bugs— Aelia acuminata , Aelia rostrata , Eurygaster maura and Eurygaster austriaca —are significant pests of wheat, causing significant yield loss in wheat and other cereals. Global climate change will modify their distribution areas by changing environmental conditions (e.g., increasing winter temperatures). Information on their dispersal possibilities can help to clarify their future economic importance and damage potential. Species distribution models are tools for predicting the distribution of species and habitat suitability by quantifying the relationship between species' occurrence records and environmental variables and predicting the potential species distributions. In this study, we modelled their current potential and future distribution by MaxEnt and the currently available occurrence data. For the future projections, we chose two scenarios (SSP1‐2.6 and SSP5‐8.5) of the global climate model IPSL‐CM6A‐LR. Our results show that the boundaries of potentially suitable habitats are shifting polewards with an eastern habitat expansion (total of 121.6%–200.6% increase in continental Europe), and areas of high habitat suitability are shifted towards western Europe and the north‐eastern areas of central Europe in both studied periods (2041–2060 and 2061–2080) for all four species. Based on our models, we can conclude that overwintering is a very sensitive period and that the temperature characteristics of the winter period strongly limit their distribution. Our predictive analysis, through modelling the future distribution of pests, not only helps to prepare for the emergence of these species in new areas but also contributes to the implementation of important Integrated Pest Management criteria in cereals.