Agroecosystems Emerging concepts of low-input, minimum tillage agriculture provide opportunities for students to enter research areas in which conventional techniques are combined with organic methods.
Students receive training in entomology, ecology and agriculture.
Biochemistry of Insect-Plant Interactions Investigations of insects and their host plants are aimed at understanding the strategies evolved by insects to process toxic chemicals produced by plants. Research also focuses on the chemistry and biosynthesis of insect lipids, both wax and polymeric components, which play crucial roles in the water balance of these organisms. Biological Control Faculty, particularly those at the two Experiment Stations, investigate traditional kinds of biological control techniques including the use of parasitic insects, predators, and cultural practices that will suppress pest populations or augment beneficial species. In addition, novel kinds of biological control using genetically altered viruses and crop plants engineered to produce Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal proteins have been developed. These viruses and plants provide new tools for the biological control and pest management program.