The incumbent will assist growers statewide in developing and implementing integrated pest and weed management strategies. Design and conduct field and laboratory experiments to evaluate integrated weed management practices and their effects on crop production. Develop and refine methods for plant physiology analysis to assess crop and weed responses to management practices. Analyze data and interpret results to identify sustainable approaches to pest and weed control. Prepare and present research findings at scientific meetings, extension events, and professional conferences.
Publish research results in peer-reviewed journals and extension publications. Seek and develop new collaborative research opportunities related to integrated pest management and crop production systems. This position will collaborate with scientists at the University of Georgia across the state to assist growers in developing information that can promote environmentally sound and economically viable practices. Rotating pesticides and management practices from one crop to another, and from year to year in perennial crops, prevents the development of resistance in many different weeds, plant pathogens, and insects. Evaluating the interplay of integrated weed management practices and their effect on weed management is essential in understanding crop production. The further development of field and laboratory plant physiology analysis methods, and improving pest management, will be a necessary component of this work. The post- doctoral researcher will also pursue other research opportunities that align with the interdisciplinary pest management research teams including, but not limited to, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Department of Entomology, and Department of Plant Pathology.