Seminar on Fruit Fly Research: Addressing an Evolving Invasive Species Crisis
The seminar, part of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology's weekly fall seminars, begins at 4:10 p.m. The Zoom link: http://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/99515291076.
"Since its 2008 detection in North America, management of the invasive Drosophila suzukii has primarily relied on calendar insecticide applications, creating a scenario where selection pressure from frequent insecticide
applications could result in development of insecticide resistance," Ganjisaffar says in her abstract.
"Field-derived resistance to spinosad has already been documented in California caneberry production, and there is significant concern among berry and cherry growers for development of resistance to other insecticides," she wrote. "This seminar will present the status of our ongoing studies to assess development and extent of insecticide resistance in California D. suzukii populations, seasonal changes in resistance, stability of resistance and potential cross-resistance between chemical classes, as well as our work on the behavioral control of D. suzukii and evaluating the efficacy of some Attract-and-Kill products."
Ganjisaffar joined the Zalom lab in August 2020 from UC Riverside where she served as a postdoctoral scholar after receiving her doctorate in entomology there in 2016. She was a member of the UC Riverside team that won second place in theESA's Linnaean Games (now Entomology Games). She received a University of California Dean's Distinguished fellowship in 2011.
Zalom, a UC Davis distinguished professor of entomology, is a past president of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) and was recently named Honorary Member of ESA, the organization's highest honor.
Ganjisaffar holds a bachelor's degree in agricultural engineering/plant protection (2006) from the University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran, and a master's degree in agricultural entomology (2009) from Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran.
Her most recent publications include:
- Life History Evaluation of Ooencyrtus lucidus, a Newly Described Egg Parasitoid of Bagrada hilaris
Journal, Insects, May 9, 2020 - Lethal and Sub-Lethal Effects of Insecticides on the Pink Hibiscus Mealybug, Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)
Journal, Insects, Jan. 16, 2019 - Mutual interference between adult females of Galendromus flumenis (Acari: Phytoseiidae) feeding on eggs of Banks grass mite decreases predation efficiency and increases emigration rate
Experimental and Applied Acarology, May 19, 2017
The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology seminars are held on Wednesdays at 4:10 p.m. All in-person seminars are held in 122 Briggs Hall, while the virtual seminars are broadcast on Zoom. For more information, contact coordinator Shahid Siddique, nematologist and assistant professor, at ssiddique@ucdavis.edu.