Sweep net sampling in a cotton field

Entomology Research – AMPS

Arthropod Management in Plant Systems

Arthropod Management in Plant Systems (AMPS)

The management of arthropod pests in cropping systems is based on understanding the ecology of pest populations and their natural enemies in agroecosystems, and integrates a diversity of strategies, including biological control, cultural control, pesticides, and semiochemicals, into integrated pest management programs that maintain pests below damaging levels in an environmentally, economically, and socially acceptable manner.

Participating Faculty

Terri Billeisen
Biology & control of pests in managed turf including annual Bluegrass weevil and sugarcane beetle.

Rick Brandenburg
Turf research and education program has focused on the ecology of mole crickets and management strategies for green June beetle grubs, Oriental beetles, southern chinch bugs, ground pearls, as well as Japanese and southern masked chafer grubs, and more recently on imported fire ants. Peanut research emphasizes cost effective management of southern corn rootworms, host plant resistance, and use of cultural practices to manage tomato spotted wilt virus. Peanut research has a strong international component focusing on the development of efficient agronomic peanut production packages in Malawi.

Hannah Burrack
My program generates and synthesizes information on insect biology, behavior, and ecology to develop pest management programs in berries, tobacco, and specialty crops grown in the southeast. I have a particular interest in the detection, monitoring, and management of invasive species, and recent activities in my laboratory have focused on Drosophila suzukii, the spotted-wing drosophila

Allen Cohen
We study nutrition of diet components, microbial interactions with diets (such as bioprocessing of diet components), diet texture, and statistically-based process and quality control in rearing systems.

Steven Frank
We study the ecology of tree pests to understand why they become so abundant and damaging on urban trees and look at these production systems to reduce pesticide use. This includes developing cultural practices that prevent pest outbreaks and optimizing biological control.

Anders Huseth
My program uses a landscape-level research approach that unifies fundamental concepts of arthropod life history strategies with landscape ecology to understand complex communities of pests and beneficial arthropods.

George Kennedy
Research in my program focuses on understanding the ecology and life systems of arthropods affecting agricultural crops and applying that understanding to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of IPM.

David Orr
My program is focused on instructional activities. I provide undergraduate level courses in Agricultural Entomology, Basic Entomology, and General Entomology. I also provide graduate level courses in Biological Control, Organic Agriculture, and Soil Ecology, as well as graduate seminars. Extension activities provide printed and electronic media, presentations and workshops related to biological control and organic agriculture.

Dominic Reisig
The Reisig program primarily serves field crop extension entomology in a collaborative role with others in the department and with other departments in the college. Experiments are oriented for information delivery to stakeholders, with the goal of improving the profitability and environmental sustainability of farmers in the state, nation, and the world. Applied research in the program centers around the ecology of noctuid moths, primarily Helicoverpa zea, and piercing sucking insects, primarily stink bugs.

Michael Roe

Max Scott
Our research focuses on developing transgenic strains of plant pests that could be used for genetic control programs. Our current efforts are on spotted wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) and the corn planthopper (Peregrinus maidis). Spotted wing Drosophila strains have been made that either produce only males or no offspring if the flies reared on diet that lacks tetracycline. In the presence of tetracycline, flies are fully viable and fertile. We are also investigating CRISPR-based systems that could be particularly efficient means for suppression of pest populations

Clyde Sorenson

My research program focuses on the biology and management of insects of agricultural significance in North Carolina and the southeastern United States, particularly those affecting tobacco. We also look at the impact of pesticides on beneficial insects that parasitize or prey on these pests.

James Walgenbach
Applied ecology and integrated pest management programs for tree fruits and vegetables. Research areas include biological control, chemical control, pesticide resistance, use of semiochemicals.