Biological Sciences Friday Seminar: Dr. Nupur Sarkar

Friday, February 17, 2023
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
CSB 112

Innovative Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Tools in Managing Agriculturally Important Insect Pests 

Dr. Nupur Sarkar

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Texas A&M University

Management of agricultural insect pests has long relied on pesticides, which also kill non-target organisms and are often ecologically disruptive. There remains a need for more selective pest control technologies that fit integrated pest management (IPM) strategies. One approach is the use of semiochemicals, specifically pheromones and host-plant volatiles to manipulate insect behaviors in IPM programs. Another is biological control which is the reduction of insect pest populations by natural enemies (e.g., predators, parasitoids, and pathogens). This seminar will discuss the benefits of using these IPM tools to manage insect pests and how they can be combined with other IPM techniques to establish a sustainable pest management program.