​​Old World Bollworm: Assessing a Potential New Threat

December 2016 | 39 min., 40 sec.
by Gregory A. Sword
Texas A&M University

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Summary

This presentation gives growers and crop consultants an overview of the old world bollworm, as well as an update on fungal endophyte work that is affecting the Texas High Plains and other cotton-growing regions of the United States. The first portion of this talk specifically covers the biology, distribution, hosts, monitoring efforts, and management of this emerging pest. The second portion introduces new research on the study of microbes--specifically fungal endophytes--in plants and their potential to become a key factor in plant health and performance.​

About the Presenter

Gregory A. SwordGregory A. Sword graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology in 1992 from the University of Arizona. He went on to receive a PhD in Zoology from the University of Texas in 1998. After conducting postdoctoral research at the University of Oxford, including fieldwork in West Africa, he returned to the United States and worked as a Research Ecologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service in Montana for five years. In 2006, he accepted a position as a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Sydney in Australia where he was ultimately promoted to Associate Professor. Five years later, he received his current appointment as Professor and Charles R. Parencia Endowed Chair in Cotton Entomology in the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University. Dr. Sword has conducted ground-breaking research into insect host plant use, ecology and evolution and has a wealth of practical knowledge to share about a new and potentially devastating new pest along with a short update on the latest developments from his research on the interaction between plants and soil micro-organisms.​

Contact Information:
Email: gasword@tamu.edu

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