Blair Sampson Research Interests

Small Fruits & Vegetable Crop Pollination and Native bee management
Managing Blue Orchard Bees (Osmia ribifloris) for commercially pollinating blueberries. Cooperator: James H. Cane Bumble bee management for pollinating greenhouse fruits and vegetables   Pollination biology and requirements of wild and cultivated small fruits and vegetable crops.   Honey bee pollination of small fruits and vegetables. Cooperator: Robert Danka http://www.ars.usda.gov/pandp/people/people.htm?personid=1258
	Courtship behavior of Osmia ribifloris.
Integrated Pest Management and other related Interests
Taxonomy, ecology and conservation of endoparasitic wasps (e.g. Eulophidae, Ceraphronidae, Platygasteridae) associated with the blueberry gall midge complex (Dasineura oxycoccana, Prodiplosis vaccinii). Cooperators: Michael Schauff http://www.sel.barc.usda.gov/selhome/selhome.htm Oscar Liburd http://fruitnvegipm.ifas.ufl.edu   Field efficacy trials for reduced-risk insecticides useful in small fruit and vegetable IPM programs. Cooperator: Oscar Liburd http://fruitnvegipm.ifas.ufl.edu/   Screening and developing botanical and mineral-based pesticides for control of nursery, greenhouse and field pests in IPM & Organic production systems. Cooperators: David Wedge, Nurhayat Tabanca (Anadolu University, Turkey) Jerry McLaughlin (Nature's Sunshine Products) Fumiomi Takeda, Michael Glenn     Organic and Community Sustained Agriculture (CSA)   Scientific Illustration
	Adult Synopeas (Platygasteridae) endoparasitoid associated with Dasineura oxycoccana & Prodiplosis vaccinii. © Blair Sampson 2003.
	Immature stages of platygasterid wasps associated with Dasineura oxycoccana & Prodiplosis vaccinii. © Blair Sampson 2003
Civic Program
Teaching children and adults the importance of insects with the help of a living arthropod zoo and other entomological exhibits (local school visits, environmental workshops, career days, and in-house tours).
	Dasineura oxycoccana laying her eggs inside a blueberry flower bud.

Journal Articles

• Sampson, B. J. and Cane, J. H. 1999. Impact of enhanced ultraviolet-B radiation on flower, pollen and nectar production. American Journal of Botany 86(1): 108-114.
• Sampson, B. J. and Cane, J. H. 2000. Pollination efficiencies of three bee (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) species visiting rabbiteye blueberry. Journal of Economic Entomology 93(6):1726-1731.
• Sampson, B. J., S. Noffsinger, C. Gupton and J. Magee. 2001. Pollination Biology of the Muscadine Grape. HortScience 36(1):120-124.
• Braswell, J, S. Stringer, B. Sampson, and D. Ingram 2001. Mississippi Production and Management Guide for Muscadine Grapes. MSU-MAFES Extension Bulletin.
• Sampson, B. J. and J. M. Spiers. 2002. Evaluating Bumblebees as pollinators of "Misty" southern highbush blueberry growing inside plastic tunnels. Acta Horticulturae 574:53-61.
• Sampson B. J., S. J. Stringer, and J. M. Spiers. 2002. Integrated pest management for Dasineura oxycoccana (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in Blueberry. Environmental Entomology 31(2):339-347. PDF reprint
• Stringer, S. J., D. A. Marshall, B. J. Sampson, J. M. Spiers. 2003. Seasonal Effects of a late application of hydrogen cyanamide on "Climax" rabbiteye blueberry. Small Fruits Review 2(4):73 - 82.
• Sampson, B. J. 2003. Organics Special Report: Organic Crop Protection 101. American Vegetable Grower, American/Western Fruit Grower, Florida Grower Magazines pp 6-7.
• Sampson, B. J., J. L. McLaughlin, and D. E. Wedge. 2003. Paw Paw extract as a botanical insecticide, 2002. Arthropod Management Tests 28: L5. link to reprint