Soil Arthropod Ecology Lab
Dr. Yasmin Cardoza, Copan, Honduras
Assistant Professor
Click HERE for more information.
Janet Griffiths, FL, USA
Research Technician
I started working in the soil arthropod ecology lab in September 2007. I am responsible for the general management and safety of the laboratory. I am resposnible for rearing plant and insect species required for the research. Currently I maintain colonies of agricultural pest species, including Helocoverpa zea, Trichoplusia ni, Myzus persicae and Pieris rapae. I also help Dr. Cardoza with bioassays and data collection to evaluate the effect of various vermicompost treatments on the performance of pests of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.
Amos Little, NH, USA
Graduate Research Assistant (MS)
***Winner 2009 SARE graduate student grant***
***Winner, 2nd place, 2008 ESA student poster competition***
My research project's focus is on vermicompost and how it influences plants resistance to arthropod pests. Vermicompost is the digestive product of earthworms (worm castings); it can be produced from food, paper and livestock wastes. Food and paper waste vermicompost is used for this project. Vermicompost has been shown to increase plant growth, fruit yield, resistance to fungal and bacterial infections and even resistance to insect and other arthropod pests in many plant species. This study will focus specifically on cabbage because the plant chemicals and defense mechanisms in the brassicaceae have been well documented. With the increased interest in organic farming there has been a push to find alternatives to the conventional insecticides used to protect crops from infestation by pests.
The purpose of this project is to determine if food based vermicompost has an effect on the growth and the resistance of cabbage to generalist and specialist pests with different feeding habits (chewing caterpillars and sucking aphids).
My research interests include plant- insect interactions, host plant resistance and pest management.
Dr. Andrea Torres-Barragan, Mexico
July, 2009-Present. Post-Doctoral Scholar (NSF-Minority Fellowship)
May, 2008-July, 2009. Research and Laboratory Support
I have been studying two different sources of vermicompost and I have found two very aggressive entomopathogenic nematodes, including a new species, and two different entomopathogenic fungi. I am now trying to determine the potential of these entomopathogens as a source of biological control of two important agricultural pest, the corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea ) and the imported cabbage worm (Pieris rapae ) as well as two important pests of honey bees, the greater wax worm (Galleria mellonella) and the small hive beetle (Aethina tumida).
I am interested in researching and developing environmentally friendly strategies for the control/management of pest insects and diseases
Undergraduate Research Interns
Escuela Agricola Panamericana (Zamorano), Honduras-Spring semester, 2009
Oscar Carvajal, Quito, Ecuador
My project involved isolating and identifying the microorganisms (mostly bacteria) associated with the nematode, Oscheius carolinensis. Once isolated, these microbes will be tested for pathogenecity against economically important insect pests, such as the corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea.
Rolando Aguilera, El Paraiso, Honduras
My project consisted on evaluating the efficacy of vermicompost aerated aqueous suspensions or "teas" in inducing resistance in radish against chewing (H. zea) and sucking (M. persicae) generalist pests.
Visiting Scientists
Dr. Francisco Javier Diaz
Visiting Scientist, October-November, 2008. USDA-Borlaug fellowship
Fundacion Hondureña de Investigación Agrícola (FHIA, La Lima, Honduras) div.Section1
Collaborators
Christina Grozinger, Entomology
Penn State University
http://ento.psu.edu/personnel/directory/cmg25
Paul Mueller, Crop Science
http://www.cropsci.ncsu.edu/personnel/mueller_paul/
Wayne Buhler, Horticulture
http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/hort_sci/faculty/buhler.html
Weimin Ye, NCDA, Nematology Assay Section
http://www.agr.state.nc.us/agronomi/nemhome.htm
Rhonda Sherman, Agricultural Engineering
http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/people/faculty/sherman/