Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences
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Table of Contents • Notable • Cochran named Associate Vice President for Agriculture-Research Vision Credits
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Johnson to receive Entomological Society-Southeast IPM Award The Southeastern Branch of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) recently announced that Entomology professor Dr. Donn T. Johnson will receive the Award for Excellence in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to be presented at the Southeastern Branch meeting in March 2007 in Knoxville, TN Johnson conducts research in the area of applied insect behavior and ecology, teaches courses in insect pest management and insect behavior/chemical ecology and maintains a fruit IPM web site at http://comp.uark.edu/~dtjohnso/. His research is focused on developing and implementing pest scouting methods and ecologically based pest management for fruit and developing monitoring programs for rice pests. Since 1985, Johnson and research assistant Barbara Lewis have received funding from Gerber Products Co. for a collaborative project with Gerber field representative John Aselage to develop and implement scouting and alternative pest management practices for peaches and apples. The research was expanded to include Dr. Keith Striegler, Horticulture, and led to demonstrations to growers in six southern states that integrated pest management practices could significantly reduce the number of insecticide sprays per season. They are currently working in two Arkansas and five Missouri wine grape vineyards, holding monthly tailgate meetings with over 100 grape growers. Since 2004, Johnson has been evaluating an organic apple pest management program integrating entomopathogens, mating disruption and releases of predatory mites as possible alternatives to chemical insecticides. Johnson and Dr. Curt Rom, Horticulture, and Dr. Jennie Popp, Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, are developing an organic farming research and extension program for fruit crops. They recently installed organic farming experiments on a two-acre research plot, which will be the first UA research plot to be certified for organic production, at the Arkansas Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Fayetteville. They are also advising a new student organic farming club, GroGreen. Since 1998, the Arkansas Rice Promotion Board has funded three graduate students co-advised by Drs. Johnson and John Bernhardt, RREC, to develop improved scouting and control practices for insect pests of rice. Johnson’s international projects have included serving as a fruit IPM consultant with VOCA in the Republic of Yemen, Winrock International in Himachal Pradesh India and World Bank IAD/FAO/USDA in Armenia. Johnson has a Ph.D. degree in entomology from Michigan State University. |