RESEARCH INTEREST :
The focus of my research is the integrated control of insect pests in soybeans. This includes monitoring pest insect development, re-evaluating economic thresholds, assessing the presence and effectiveness of beneficials, and identifying and implementing cultural control methods that have the least possible environmental impact.
I am specifically interested in foliage and pod feeders, as they can have significant economic impact. Until recently, Piezodorus guildini (Westwood), the red-banded stinkbug, has not been a significant pest in the United States. Stink bugs are pod feeders and can decrease yield and protein content of beans. We are currently establishing a colony of P. guildini in the lab to study phenology and development under different temperature conditions.
We are also maintaining a colony of Pseudoplusia includens (Walker), soybean loopers, in our lab. One population is susceptible to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and another population is resistant. We have recently produced a cross between the two populations. We are currently feeding all three populations four varieties of Gossypium hirsutum (L.), cotton: Conventional, Bollgard I, Bollgard II and stacked Bollgard I and II. Soybean loopers are resistant to most control agents. We are attempting to quantify the fitness cost of Bt resistance in an effort to understand the development of resistance.
We will conduct molecular studies to evaluate population structure of red-banded stink bug and soybean looper from different geographic regions in order to determine gene flow between populations and its effect on insecticide resistance development.
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