Pub Talk: Integrated Pest Management at Home

• Integrated Pest Management
• Insects-Plant Interactions
• Biological Control
• Insect Ecology-Insect Movement
• Chemical Control

The goal of my research program is to develop and implement cost-effective reduced-risk Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices for irrigated crops in eastern Oregon, including potatoes, onions, corn, wheat, etc.  This goal is achieved through the integration of population dynamics studies, understanding insect behavior, and implementing biological and chemical control  methods.  My extension program delivers IPM information to growers, crop consultants, field experts, and  public in general following “one to one” approach, and developing on-farm demonstration trials, presentations, trainings, workshops, and extension publications.

Currently, Silvia is a Professor and Director of the Integrated Pest Management Center affiliated with the Department of Crop & Soil Science. She received her B.A. and M.S. in Entomology at the Agraria University in Lima, Perú, and Ph.D. in Crop Sciences with a major in Entomology and Integrated Pest Management from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 2002, she worked as a Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Florida Horticulture Department. In 2005, she joined Oregon State University developing the Irrigated Agricultural Entomology Program and serving all irrigated issues in eastern OR. She moved to Corvallis on September 2022. Her area of expertise is integrated pest management with an emphasis on insect ecology, insect distribution, population dynamic insect-plant interactions, biological control, and chemical control. She is from Lima, Peru.