News

Grad Student Receives First Place in National Meeting Poster Competition

November 25, 2014 by Rob Williams

Freddy Ibanez, right, discussing his research with Dr. Charles Allen during the poster session. Photo by Paula Castillo.

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Department would like to congratulate Ph.D. student Freddy Ibanez as he received first place at a poster competition during the national meeting of the Entomological Society of America in late November.

Mentored by Dr. Cecilia Tamborindeguy, Ibanez received First Place in the Physiology, Biochemistry and Toxicology Section. The section is for people who study insects at the cellular or molecular levels and includes topics such as biochemistry, microbiology, toxicology and molecular biology.

Ibanez’s poster titled “Vitellogenesis in potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli” looks at how the psyllids are regulating certain precursor egg yolk proteins called vitellogenins and how this process could eventually help control psyllid population growth.

In the poster, Ibanez said that they are studying these psyllids because some of these insects have emerged in the last decade as major vectors of bacterial plant pathogens worldwide. Ibanez said that they were studying the potato psyllid because the insect has been known to transmit the causal agent of zebra chip disease of potatoes called Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum. The psyllids are commonly found in the western half of the United States, Mexico, Central America, and New Zealand, he said.

During the study, Ibanez cloned two genes similar to the ones that were responsible for producing the vitellogenin proteins and determined the psyllid’s oviposition cycle. After determination, he and Tamborindeguy then analyzed the gene and protein expressions during the oviposition cycle itself. Finally, they looked at the effects of the juvenile hormone analog S-Hydroprene in females.

The results showed that there were changes in the BcVg1-like gene at different points in the cycle, but no significant changes in the BcVg6-like gene were detected. These results represented the first step towards understanding the psyllid’s reproduction process.

Ibanez said that this research will help find targets to controlling psyllid populations and also could potentially be applied to other phloem-feeding insects that were not known yet.

Tamborindeguy was very excited about the award and said that it was a very high honor for her lab.

“We are very proud of Freddy and he is a very promising student,” Tamborindeguy said. “It’s a great reward for his hard work and dedication and speaks highly of him and his professionalism.”

Extension, Research Entomology Receives Three USDA Grants For Integrated Pest Management

November 10, 2014 by Rob Williams

Sugarcane aphid nymphs and an adult on a grain sorghum leaf. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Dr. Pat Porter)

COLLEGE STATION – The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Texas A&M AgriLife Research have received a total of $937,345 in grant monies from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture for integrated pest management work, according to a recent USDA news release announcing the successful grant projects.

The agency awarded a total of $16 million in grants nationally to support research and Extension activities across the U.S. that address critical integrated pest management needs, according to the press release. The resources are meant to protect crops and livestock, ensure greater food security and effectively respond to other major societal challenges as stated in the release.

Of the four grants awarded, the Department of Entomology received three of the four which totaled more than $689,000.

late season leaf drop on crape myrtles, Longview, TX Photo by E. Vafaie — Late season leaf drop on crape myrtles showing Crape Myrtle Bark Scale in Longview, Texas. Photo by Erfan Vafaie

“Integrated pest management is a best-management strategy that utilizes a number of tactics to control pests in the most effective, economical, yet environmentally friendly, ways available,” said Dr. Charles Allen, a grant recipient and AgriLife Extension entomology program leader/associate department head and statewide integrated pest coordinator at San Angelo.

The Applied Research and Development Program grants and amounts for the Department of Entomology are:

An AgriLife Research grant for $250,000 to study the sugarcane aphid on grain sorghum. The project will include evaluating thresholds that guide insecticide use; determining principal natural enemies, their abundance and impact; screening reported resistance to pesticides; natural pest enemies; and communicating findings to growers and industry.
An AgriLife Extension grant for $244,478 to include determining population dynamics of early stage crape myrtle bark scale across multiple growing seasons; determining the efficacy of different management strategies for crape myrtle bark scale infestations in landscapes and nursery container production; evaluating the pest’s feeding preference on different crape myrtle species and cultivars; and promoting awareness and disseminating integrated pest management control strategies to help people manage the pest.
The Extension Implementation Program grant, an AgriLife Extension grant for $195,000, will provide funding for applied research and Extension programming to solve pest-related problems in agriculture, home/landscape, school and urban settings, with an emphasis on information sharing, project evaluations and collaborator education.

The fourth grant was awarded to Soil and Crop Sciences in the amount of $247,867 to include the development and delivery of a Palmer amaranth integrated management model; a decision-support tool to help growers, private industry and agency personnel, –adopt integrated pest management tactics for managing herbicide resistant Palmer amaranth.

Assistant Professor Michael Brewer was thankful for the sugarcane aphid grant and said that it will help him conduct research to find ways to manage and control the infestations of sugarcane aphids that are currently affecting sorghum.

“I greatly appreciated the sponsorship. We (entomologists and plant breeders, researchers and Extension specialists) will be able to work together to address sugarcane aphid on sorghum as a team,” Brewer said. “We will be able to work together to find the best insecticide use, biological control, and sorghum resistance to limit damage from this aphid.”

To view the USDA announcement and the list of funded grants, visit
http://www.nifa.usda.gov/newsroom/news/2014news/10233_ipm_grants.html.

For more information on specific grants, visit: http://www.nifa.usda.gov/newsroom/news/2014news/10_23_crop_pro_ps

Texas Apiary Inspection Service Launches New ‘Master Beekeeper’ Program

November 5, 2014 by

COLLEGE STATION, Texas –Beekeepers in Texas will now have a way to further their knowledge and skill set in beekeeping as the Texas Master Beekeeper program officially launched this November.

Provided by the Texas Apiary Inspection Service in association with the Texas Beekeepers Association, the Texas A&M Honey Bee Lab, and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, the program is an educational program to help increase the knowledge and skill level of participating beekeepers.

TAIS Chief Apiary Inspector Mark Dykes said that the Texas program is modeled after the program that the University of Florida had established for its beekeepers. Dykes said that he thought of the idea after beekeeper Lance Wilson contacted Mr. Dykes and asked if the state had a master beekeeper program.

“I had worked with the Florida Master Beekeeper Program for 6 years before I came out to Texas, so I was very familiar with the program. We decided that using an existing format would make implementation of the program much easier,” Dykes said.

Dykes said that by producing highly knowledgeable beekeepers the program can help lead the industry and act as honey bee ambassadors to the general public.

Administered by the TAIS, the program is a five year minimum program that trains and certifies participants in the basics of beekeeping, as well as bee-related topics. To enter the program, Dykes said, that applicants must be a beekeeper Once admitted, the program has four levels of training and advancement: Apprentice Beekeeper, Advanced Beekeeper, Master Beekeeper, and Master Craftsman Beekeeper. He said that except for the Master Beekeeper levels, most take a minimum of one year, with the Master level taking two years.

Some of the topics the program offers to beekeepers includes new beekeeping techniques and equipment, potential problems and tips and tricks for maintaining their apiaries. The format consists of a review of the materials and a written and practical examination.

“I think programs like this one encourage beekeepers to expand their knowledge and become better beekeepers,” Dykes said.

He also added that a key part to the program is public service credits in which the beekeeper students have to present information about beekeeping to the public.

“This outreach becomes a force multiplier to our efforts by making program participants honey bee ambassadors,” he said. “This in turn helps the industry by spreading science and research based information about honey bees.”

For more information about the Texas Master Beekeeper program, visit the website at http://masterbeekeeper.tamu.edu.

Former Student Helps Solve Everyday Problems In Agriculture

October 24, 2014 by

Brad Hopkins story1 — Brad Hopkins evaluating a cutworm trial in Brazil

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.—Former student Brad Hopkins’ work and lab experience during his time as a grad student has certainly paid off in his career.

Since he graduated with his Ph.D. in Entomology in 2009, he has helped producers improve crops as a field researcher and is currently working with seed treatments to come up with solutions to prevent damage to seeds and crops.

Hopkins also received his Master of Science degree in 2006, as well as his Bachelors of Science in 2004, all from the Department of Entomology. He currently works as a Global Biology Leader at Dow AgroSciences in Indianapolis.

As a grad student, Hopkins worked in Dr. Patricia Pietrantonio’s lab where his research focused mainly on pyrethroid resistance management in the cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa zea). From a research standpoint, he tested new technologies and assessed how they performed in the field. The testing of these new technologies allowed Hopkins to teach producers how they work and which ones will work best in increasing their profits.

As the Global Biology Leader and Technical Expert for Seed Treatments for Dow, Hopkins works with different clients including working with other companies that provide seed treatments to evaluate what Dow’s options are and to make recommendations to their seed brands globally. He also plans the company’s global internal research program and acts as a consulting resource to their seed brands for seed treatment.

Before he started at Dow as a field scientist, he worked as a crop consultant at Hopkins Agricultural Service, Inc. Hopkins said that the company specializes in crop consulting and contract research with producers of cotton and grain sorgum, as well as other crops in the area they covered.

“It was a tremendous background for doing field applied research and for my first position as a field scientist with Dow AgroSciences,” he said.

In addition to scientific skills, Hopkins said that his project management skills have helped him with his career the most.

“While the scientific education I received at Texas A&M always helps, it was really the non-technical skills that I picked up along the way that have helped the most’” he said. “Good project and time management is one of the most important things that I learned while juggling all sorts of projects during my graduate studies that really has paid dividends in my job.”

He also said that taking on leadership roles during college were helpful in his career path.

“I was fortunate to have the opportunity to serve on many different committees and in a variety of capacities during school, and this also prepared me for working on a variety of different projects and being able to transfer my knowledge of entomology to different areas of study such as weed science, plant pathology, agronomy, plant physiology, etc,” Hopkins said.

Hopkins said that working in Pietrantonio’s lab and his education here at A&M has been instrumental in helping him with his career.

“My time as a graduate student was invaluable and I feel like Dr. Pietrantonio’s PhD program really prepared me for my job after school,” Hopkins said. “There were many opportunities to present and publish my research, which got me ready for employment and also introduced me to many of the folks I still work with today.”

Hillel Jewish Student Organization Visits Rangel Lab and Apiary

October 7, 2014 by

Students from the Texas A&M Hillel Jewish Student Organization recently visited Dr. Juliana Rangel's lab at Riverside Campus to learn about honey and how it is connected to the Jewish New Year celebration Rosh Hashanah. Photo by Juliana Rangel. — Students from the Texas A&M Hillel Jewish Student Organization recently visited Dr. Juliana Rangel’s lab at Riverside Campus to learn about honey and how it is connected to the Jewish New Year celebration Rosh Hashanah. Photo by Juliana Rangel.

BRYAN, Texas – Members of the Hillel Jewish Student Organization headed out for Texas A&M’s Riverside campus to get the latest buzz on honey and how honey is made during a recent tour in September.

The students learned several different things about honey, including how it is made, what part honey bees played in the role, and how honey is used in such religious celebrations as the Jewish New Year, or Rosh Hashanah.

Hillel’s Jewish Student Life Coordinator Veronica Beskin said that the trip was perfect because they celebrated annually by eating symbolic foods, such as apples, dipped in honey, which represents making the year ahead a sweet year.

During the tour, group had the chance to visit with the staff and researchers and listen to presentations from several of the grad students on their research in the lab and got a chance to taste different types of honey.

adrian-fisher — Grad student Adrian Fisher showing a honey comb from the apiary during the tour. Submitted Photo.

Beskin heard about Rangel’s lab after talking to Rangel when planning the organization’s yearly events and wanted to do something different to celebrate Rosh Hashanah.

“Back in May I was planning our holiday programs and did research looking for something fun and unique to celebrate the holiday. Some people go apple picking, but since this an agricultural school I knew there would be more options,” she said. “I honestly found the Honey Bee Lab website and emailed Dr. Rangel asking if a tour would be possible. She put it together and included a wonderful event for us as well.”

Rangel was very excited to have the group visit to learn about bees and how honey was produced.

Pierre Lau showing his research to students from the Hillel Jewish Student Center at a recent tour. Photo by Juliana Rangel

“We are delighted that diverse organizations in our community can take advantage of the great resources available at our bee research facility,” Rangel said.

“We all thoroughly enjoyed our visit. I brought 10 students last week, and they have informed me they want more programs just like that! Our experience at the Honey Bee Lab exceeded my expectations,” Beskin said.