Dr. Michael Stout

Dr. Stout is interested in both applied and fundamental aspects of plant-insect interactions. His program integrates relevant methods and concepts from diverse fields, including insect physiology, agronomy, plant pathology, plant biochemistry and physiology, and ecology. Most of his laboratory’s research involves the interactions of rice with its major insect pests in Louisiana: the rice water weevil, the rice stink bug, stem-boring Lepidopterans, and the fall armyworm. Current areas of active investigation include the following: biochemical and physiological mechanisms of rice resistance and tolerance to rice pests, induced resistance, plant-mediated interactions between insect herbivores and pathogenic microorganisms, the use of elicitors of plant resistance in pest management, chemical ecology of the rice stink bug, incorporation of cultural practices into pest management programs, and integration of rice and crawfish production via the use of reduced-risk insecticides. The ultimate applied goal of all research conducted in my lab is the development of cost-effective management programs for insect pests of rice.

Lina Bernaola

Lina Bernaola is a Ph.D. student in the Stout lab. Her fields of interest are on plant-herbivore-fungus interactions and chemical ecology. She is interested in exploring how biotic factors influence plant traits that affect the outcomes of trophic interactions. By conducting field, greenhouse, and molecular experiments, she is studying the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, a symbiotic soil-borne organism, on rice resistance to insect herbivores and pathogens. Also, she is interested in understanding how plant hormones regulate aspects of plant defense responses against insect herbivores.

Emily Kraus

Emily Kraus is a Ph.D. student in the Stout lab. She joined the lab in June of 2014. Her work focuses on Trait Mediated Interaction Units (TMIUs) in rice, Oryza sativa. She is interested in investigating the implications of TMIUs for pest management in rice and she is also investigating the mechanisms of induced resistance through analysis of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and RT-PCR.

James Villegas

James Villegas is a Ph.D. student in the Stout lab and co-advised by Dr. Blake Wilson. He's investigating the role of plant tolerance as defense against the rice insect pest complex. His research involves a combination of field, greenhouse, and laboratory experiments. Ultimately, his goal is to develop alternative management tactics that can be incorporated into current crop production practices to improve management of insect and disease pests such as the rice water weevil and stem borers, including the invasive Mexican rice borer.

Maisarah Saad

Maisarah was a Master's level student in the Stout lab. She graduated in the summer of 2017. Her research was focused on the varietal resistance in rice. Her goal was to evaluate the resistance (nonpreference/antixenosis, antibiosis, and tolerance) of Louisiana commercial rice varieties toward rice water weevil, Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuchel. Use of insect-resistant rice varieties is economically, ecologically, and environmentally advantageous, and this ‘built-in’ control strategy is compatible with other direct control tactics.