Division/Committee: [AGRO] Division of Agrochemicals

This symposium will highlight the research of early career researchers (e.g. graduate students Ph.D), post-doctoral researchers, and early-career scientists who have obtained a doctoral degree in the last five years), across academia, industry, and government. Sustainable agroecosystems are important for providing sufficient food for a growing population, without adversely impacting the environment. Crops are exposed to a range of pests and pathogens, which reduce crop quality and yield, therefore sustainable crop protection methods should be explored. Semiochemicals are development- or behaviour-modifying chemical signals produced by a range of organisms including plants, insects, and microorganisms, enabling them to communicate intra- and inter-specifically. Semiochemicals can be exploited to benefit crop production through mechanisms including induced crop defence against pests, enhancing crop biomass, and signaling to beneficial predators/parasitoids for pest control. Identifying semiochemicals involved in these biological activities, and developing an understanding of their biological roles, can enable the development of novel, sustainable tools to increase crop productivity, which can help address the need to provide sufficient food for an increasing population.

Dr. Nurhayat Tabanca

USDA

Appearances