Alana Jacobson - profile information

Short Bio

Research conducted in my lab focuses on insect ecology and integrated pest management in row crop systems. Work examines how interactions among insect pests, plant viruses, host plants, and agricultural landscapes shape pest outbreaks and disease spread in cotton, peanut, soybean, and sorghum production systems. A central theme of this research is understanding vector–virus interactions that influence plant virus transmission, including factors affecting successful acquisition, transmission, and infection in single and mixed virus systems. We also investigate the ecological and evolutionary drivers of insecticide resistance and evaluate management strategies that balance pest suppression with long-term sustainability. This work integrates laboratory experiments, field studies, molecular tools, and landscape-scale analyses. My research program is highly collaborative and interdisciplinary, with partnerships across land-grant universities, USDA researchers, commodity groups, and international collaborators. We focus on finding direct applications to agricultural decision-making that can be translated into pest and disease management recommendations for producers. I have led and contributed to nationally and internationally funded projects and members of my lab participate in state, regional, national and global scientific meetings and working groups.