Research interests include studies of integrated resistance management (IRM) with pests of row crops (i.e. corn, wheat, rice, cotton, soybean, and sorghum). My lab estimates the susceptibility of pests of row crops such as tobacco thrips, tarnished plant bug, corn earworm, and sugarcane aphid to key insecticides using estimate dose response curves and bioassays. If tolerance to insecticides is speculated, biochemical analyses are used to quantify the differences in enzymes between lab susceptible and field populations to determine the detoxification means by which these insects are surviving. We then look for cross resistance to any currently marketed product. These results monitor for quantitative differences in tolerance to insecticides and aid growers in their management decisions. While my lab is heavily IRM associated, we also conduct research with moth phenology and taxonomy to improve prediction models.
