Advisor:
Fred Hain
Office:
USDA APHIS Centennial Campus
1730 Varsity Drive Suite 300, Raleigh, NC 27606
Phone:
919.855.7533
Fax:
919.855.7599
Degree Sought:
PhD Research:
Host and site factors associated with old growth Fraser firs that have survived the balsam woolly adelgid; developing bioassay techniques for host resistance screening.
The balsam woolly adelgid is one of the threats to the Christmas tree industry. Christmas tree growers currently must spray their trees for the adelgid twice every five to 10 years. Equipment needed for the volume of spray is extremely expensive, and only half of the Christmas tree growers in the southern Appalachians can afford to treat.