Researchers with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station (University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture) have assembled the first high-quality, chromosome-scale reference genome for the rice stink bug (Oebalus pugnax), UAEX reported Sept. 16.
The 826-million-base-pair assembly identifies more than 13,000 genes and roughly 21,000 non-coding RNAs, with gene families tied to plant feeding, host adaptation, detoxification and potential insecticide resistance. Arkansas Biosciences Institute funding supported the work, published in the Journal of Heredity.
Corresponding author Rich Adams and co-author Allen Szalanski (entomology and plant pathology) said the genome creates a foundation for future pest-management studies. Rice stink bugs feed on more than 15 host plants, including grain sorghum, and have shown pyrethroid resistance in some populations. Earlier UAEX work estimated losses above $16 million for Arkansas rice growers in 2017 alone.
Graduate student Rokeya Akter was first author; co-authors included Mahamad Sayab Miya and Duane D. McKenna (University of Memphis). Rice is a staple crop across the Arkansas Delta, including Southeast Arkansas production counties.
Source: UAEX / Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station — Genome assembly of rice stink bug (Sept. 16, 2026).
