Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center  

6321 Holland Road

Suffolk, VA 23437

Phone: (757) 657-6450 x 411
Fax: 757-657-9333

Develop (Research - 25%) and implement (Extension -75%) programs to improve management of insect pests of soybean, peanut, cotton and small grains that reduce reliance on pesticides while maintaining crop quality and profitability. Produce timely and germane articles for the agricultural press and peer-reviewed publications, and make presentations using a variety of content-based media appropriate for grower, agency, industry and academic audiences. Serve as major advisor and mentor to graduate students. Work collaboratively with grower and industry groups, Extension agents, university and agency personnel. Provide leadership to departmental, college, VCE and university committees and programs. Currently, the State IPM Coordinator and Extension Project Leader for the Department of Entomology. Current projects include research with use of soybean leaf area (LAI) to assess insect defoliation and aid in management decisions, evaluation of GMO insect-resistant cotton varieties and development of new thresholds for hemipterous pests of cotton, evaluation of peanut cultivars and tobacco thrips management practices for limiting incidence and losses to tomato spotted wilt virus, survey and management of stink bug species in soybean, survey and assessment of native stink bug egg parasitoid species, and research on efficacy of insecticide seed treatments for control of early season insect pests of cotton, small grain and soybean. Future goals include assessing OMRI approved insecticides for control of insect pests of peanut and for managing stink bugs in row and vegetable crops.

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