Horticultural Entomology and Pest Management Research Group

RESEARCH GROUP LEADER: Dr. József Fail associate professor, head of department

 

RESEARCH FOCUS: Biology and ecology of pests and beneficial arthropods occurring in orchards, vineyards, vegetable and ornamental plant production and in urban habitats. The effects of climate change and development in cropping systems on arthropods communities. Development of pest forecast and environmentally sound pest control methods. Biological pest management tactics. Identification and control of vectors of ’Candidatus Phytoplasma prunorum’. Faunistics and ecology of thrips species (Thysanoptera). Monitoring, biology and environmentally friendly population control of invasive alien insect species. Horticultural acarology (predatory and herbivorous mites).

 

MEMBERSHIPS:

Hungarian Chamber of Professionals and Doctors in Plant Protection

Hungarian Plant Protection Society

Hungarian Entomological Society

Committee on Plant Protection, Hungarian Academy of Sciences

 

LONG-TERM COLLABORATIONS:

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (Canada)

Agricultural Research Organization (Israel)

BOKU (Austria)

CABI (Switzerland)

Croatian Forest Research Institute (Croatia)

Cukurova Universitesi Ziraat Fakultesi Adana (Turkey)

Department of Entomology, University of Debrecen (Hungary)

Department of Agronomy, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)

Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University (USA)

Department of Environmental Ecology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University (Slovak Republic)

Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Horticulture, University of Agriculture in Cracow (Poland)

Institute of Physics, Faculty of Science, Eötvös Loránd University (Hungary)

INRA (France)

Institute of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences I, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (Germany)

Institute of Forest Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences (Slovak Republic)

Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China

Hungarian Sour Cherry Growers Association (Hungary)

Hungarian Natural History Museum (Hungary)

FruitVeB Hungary (Hungary)

Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (Hungary)

Centre for Ecological Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (Hungary)

Forest Research Institute, National Agricultural Research and Innovation Centre (Hungary)

Nankai University (China)

National Food Chain Safety Office (Hungary)

Hungarian Beekeepers Association (Hungary)

Plant Protection Institute, Georgicon Faculty, University of Pannonia (Hungary)

School of Life Sciences, Keele University (UK)

Senckenberg Deutsches Entomologisches Institut (Germany)

Slovenian Forestry Institute (Slovenia)

Syngenta Seeds Kft., Budapest (Hungary)

Tropical Entomology Research Center (Italy)

Universitá di Udine (Italy)

USDA ARS (USA)

 

SERVICES: Identification of pests, extension service to farmers, application of pest forecast systems, determination of economic damage thresholds, evaluation of chemical and biological pesticides efficacy trials, assessment of the role of beneficial arthropods in the control of pests occurring in orchards, vineyards, vegetables and ornamental plants, evaluation of the efficacy of biological control methods, resistance screening of cultivars and candidate varieties to pests.

 

GRANTS:

COST Action no. CA17122: Increasing understanding of alien species through citizen science (2018-2022)

NKTH 2017-2.2.4-TÉT-AT-2017-00003: Sympatric populations in the onion thrips species complex in Austria and Hungary (2018-2019)

NKFIH TÉT_16_CN-1-2016-0014: Developing cultivation methods and processing technology in intensive cherry production (2017-2020)

NKTH TÉT_15-1-2016-0135: Population genetics and diversity of onion thrips in China and Hungary (2017-2018)

János Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences: The onion thrips cryptic species complex (2016-2019)

NKFI K 112743: Pest control potential of spiders (Araneae) in apple orchards systems and possibilities for their use in conservation biological control (2015-2018)

János Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences: Distribution and biology of Aproceros leucopoda, an alien pest of elms (2015-2017)

NKFI K 109594: Reproductive biology of onion thrips (2014-2018)

COST Action no. TD1209: European Information System for Alien Species (ALIEN Challenge) (2013-2017)

COST Action no. FP1002: Alien insects associated with live plant trade, with particular emphasis on Cydalima perspectalis. Short Term Scientific Mission (2013)

NKFI NN 101940: Climate change effects on plant-arthropod interactions along a European biodiversity gradient (2012-2016)

NKTH-OTKA MB08A 81156: The resistance of white cabbage to onion thrips (2011-2013)

Talentum Program – No. 4.2.1/B-09/1/KMR-2010-0005 TÁMOP Project, 1. Research Subproject: Study on the distribution, biology and significance of Aproceros leucopoda, an alien pest of elms in Hungary, with special respect on the damage caused and the possibilities of environmentally friendly control in arboretums and botanical gardens (2011)

TÁMOP-4.2.1/B-09/1/KMR-2010-0005: „Development of crop production and crop quality control technologies" Subproject (2010-2012)

OTKA K 75856: New opportunities for pest management in organic apple orchards and the ecological background (2009-2013)

Fulbright: Role of plant characteristics in the resistance of white cabbage to onion thrips (2009)

NKTH TÉT SI-13/2008: Role of plant characteristics in the resistance of white cabbage to onion thrips (2008-2009)

NKFP06A2-BCETKA06: Improvement of environmentally friendly apple and apricot production and postharvest technologies in the region of Heves (2007-2009)

Horticultural LINK Project HL0175: Integrated Pest and Disease Management for high quality protected raspberry production (2006-2011)

GAK2005 FKUT1kol: Improvement of the efficacy and competitiveness of raspberry production by technology development and by producing new cultivars (2006-2008)

OMFB: Identification of varietal characteristics resulting in the resistance of white cabbage to onion thrips (2006-2007)

NKFP 4/012/04: Basic and applied research about novel pest management strategies contributing to the integration into EU (2004-2007)

Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, UK: Producing apples free from pesticide residues (2004-2007)

OTKA T046380: Role of interhabitat relations in the organisation of orchard arthropod assemblages 2. (2004-2007)

MAFF UK HH2502 STF: Towards zero pesticides on apple (2002-2004)

National Biodiversity Monitoring System, Ground-dwelling insects project, Ministry of Environment and Water (and successors), Nature Conservation Office, as well as the Kiskunság National Park (2001-2014)

OM-NKFP 00309/2001 4/037: 12. subproject Precision crop production (2001-2004)

NKFP 4/008: Challenges of environmentally friendly area-wide IPM (2001-2004)

NKFP: Resistance screening of white cabbage varieties to onion thrips (2001)

OM FKFP no. 0133: The insect fauna of soft fruit plantations and the possibilities of environmentally friendly pest management (2000-2003)

FVM K+F: Building on the resistance of white cabbage to onion thrips in the development of integrated cabbage production technologies (2000)

OTKA F029349: Insect and spider assemblages of native trees in Hungary (1999-2002)

Integrated fruit production technology in apple and sour cherry. Project of the Research Centre for Fruit Growing NP Ltd. (Újfehértó, Hungary) (1999-2001)

OTKA F23885: Role of interhabitat relations in the organisation of orchard arthropod assemblages 1. (1997-2000)

USDA 58-319-R-3022: Integrated pest management (IPM) in orchards (1995-1996)

OTKA F006392: Biological control of weeds in Hungary. The entomological background (1993-1996)

OTKA: Migration and dispersion of herbivorous insects in natural and agricultural habitats (1992-1995)

USDA: Maximising biological control in integrated pest management of pome fruit in Hungary (1992-1994)

FKFP: Developing the principles of Integrated Pest Management against the most common pest animals of horticultural crop production (1991-1996)

OTKA: The impact of stress (drought, nutrient deficiency, frost) on plant pests and diseases (1990-1993)

 

CONTRACTS: Horticultural companies and enterprises, pesticide and seed companies, quality control institutes, plant protection research and innovation centres, national parks, Hungarian Beekeepers Association, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Ohio Program, New York State Cabbage Research and Development Program