Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Fargo, North Dakota » Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center » Sunflower Improvement Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #423396
Research Project: Sunflower Yield, Crop Quality, and Interactions with Biotic and Abiotic Stressors

Location: Sunflower Improvement Research

Title: Early-career experiences in sunflower entomology at USDA-ARS

Author
item Prasifka, Jarrad

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/10/2025
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Research with cultivated sunflowers, Helianthus annuus, provides students and other early-career professionals (ECP) a remarkable experience. Though sunflower production in North America is small relative to the worldwide market, the crop (and its congeners) are native, instantly recognizable, and host to a unique group of co-evolved pests and other insects. Projects involving ECP supported by USDA-ARS include management of primary insect pests (e.g., the red sunflower seed weevil, Smicronyx fulvus LeConte), including cultural control measures, host plant resistance, and biological control. However, other projects explore specific plant traits (glandular trichomes, anthocyanins, floral resources) and their potential to govern interactions with various sunflower insects. For ECP working in sunflower entomology USDA-ARS, we try to provide a mix of guided and independent projects, though the balance and composition of these elements depends on the ECP and their peer-network. Though it is unlikely that ECP working in sunflowers will continue with a career in the crop, they help create a network of experienced professionals and potential collaborators.