Agricultural Biology

Fungi are amazing - unless you are an ant with cordyceps.

The real-life version of the apocalyptic fungus in ‘The Last of Us’ won’t turn you into a zombie – but it does have great benefits for agriculture The HBO series "The Last of Us" might have you wondering if cordyceps could mutate to infect humans. We talked to a CSU expert about why it's highly unlikely and how these "definitely spooky" fungi can benefit agriculture.

Agricultural Biology is proud to be the home of the 110-year old Entomology Club at CSU!

https://collegian.com/articles/landc/culture/2023/01/category-life-and-culture-110-years-of-insects-the-metamorphosis-of-the-csu-bug-club/?fbclid=IwAR1NWo3widLFWSAw4t0Or6pmb9O77ABSkBU1Inpr4MVUnEyZvTcBrnatx-w

110 years of insects: The metamorphosis of the CSU bug club For most of us, bugs can be reduced to a fear of spiders and a hope that termites don’t take down our homes. For students in the Colorado State University Entomology Club, bugs are much more than that. After 110 years at CSU, the club has grown in size and purpose, moving from an academic...

We're so pleased that Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, and Nick Grishin named this newly described butterfly species after Prof. Paul Opler and his wife, Evi Buckner-Opler.

https://centerforsystematicentomology.org/insectamundi/0969_Zhang_etal_2023.pdf

Urbanus oplerorum

"The name honors Paul A. Opler and Evi M. Buckner-Opler who collected the paratype on one of their many expeditions that contributed most significantly to our knowledge of Lepidoptera. Paul’s lifelong contributions to Lepidopterology cannot be overstated, being immensely broad and far-reaching: in science, education, conservation, and dissemination of knowledge through best-selling books. During the last several years, Paul and Evi have been collecting and preserving butterflies for genomic analysis, and their excellent material forms the foundation for the genomic studies of western USA species. The name is a noun in the genitive case.

English name. The Oplers’ longtail.

Distribution. Presently known from South Texas and Mexico: Tamaulipas.

A team of 70 scientists from 19 countries, including Prof. Paul Ode from Agricultural Biology, have warned about the threat of climate change to insect species and the ecosystems that depend on insects in a new publication in Ecological Monographs.

DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1553

Scientists' warning on climate change and insects Climate warming is considered to be among the most serious of anthropogenic stresses to the environment, because it not only has direct effects on biodiversity, but it also exacerbates the harmful ef...

Did you know that pine trees can get sick too?

In the most recent Plantopia podcase episode, Ag Bio's Prof Jim Bradeen interviews Gary Chastagner, a professor of plant pathology and an extension specialist in the Department of Plant Pathology at Washington State University, about pine tree health.

The Science Behind Healthy Christmas Trees In this episode, Gary Chastagner, a professor of plant pathology and an extension specialist in the Department of Plant Pathology at Washington State University, joins host Jim Bradeen for a timely conversation about the science behind Christmas trees. The two chat about his initial interests in pla...

Welcome to all of new faculty and staff who started in Agricultural Biology this Fall!

We'd like to give a very warm welcome and introduction to one of our newest faculty members, Crystal Cooke!

Crystal was born and raised here in Fort Collins. She was interested in bats from an early age and when it came time to learn about their feeding ecology in college, she became completely engrossed in Entomology. After her Bachelor’s degree in Zoology from CSU, she earned her Master’s in Entomology through CSU’s Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management. Her studies focused on IPM and studying the natural history of a pest gall wasp. She then went on to her Ph.D. studies at the University of Maryland where she performed taxonomic and systematics research on Hymenoptera at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. As a Hymenopterist, Crystal is an expert in Cerocephaline Pteromalids and oak gall wasps (Cynipidae). Her interests are plant-insect interactions, trophic interaction, parasitism, IPM, specimen-based research, and of course education.

Returning to CSU, Crystal plans to teach Entomology related courses, perform insect identifications, and support the C.P. Gillette Museum. She will use her background in insect identification and in-depth knowledge of insect morphology to guide students through learning how to identify insects. Her skills in insect identification will also be put to good use as insect questions come into the department.

Outside of work Crystal enjoys crafting with insect themes and products including galls, wasp nest paper, and cochineal. She loves tabletop gaming and has over 100 types of houseplants in her personal collection.

Make sure to say hello if you see her around!

The Nutrien Ag Day BBQ is back! Please join us on Saturday, September 11 starting at 4pm. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit this link: https://agsci.colostate.edu/agday/ See you there!

Ag Day - Ag Day Saturday, September 11, 2021 Doors open at 4:00 pm | Food services begin TBD | CSU vs. Vanderbilt Football Game Kick-off at 8:00 pm Ag Day is a long-standing tradition and celebration of Colorado agriculture and CSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences. Starting in 1981, Ag Day is hosted by CSU’s ...

This is a great article about Juneteenth, which officially became a national holiday today.

Juneteenth: An expression of freedom At CSU, Juneteenth evokes a range of memories and emotions across generations of the university community that focuses on a word that has so many meanings in this country: freedom.

Congratulations to Agricultural Biology major Chris Hayes, who won a CURC 2021 award for his presentation "Small pest, big problem: Innovative strategies to manage h**p russet mite in h**p." For more information and to see the other award winners, visit

CURC 2021 award winners announced Posters and presentations from the virtual Celebrate Undergraduate Research and Creativity event are available online.

https://agsci.source.colostate.edu/fungal-biologists-fighting-peach-tree-killing-pathogen/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=topStory&utm_campaign=m0517-21

Fungal biologists fighting peach tree-killing pathogen Researchers aim to turn the tide against the fungus Cytospora, which for decades has wreaked havoc among peach orchards across the Western Slope.

Congratulations to AgBio graduate students Jessa Ata and Shaista Karim, who were selected as Sustainability Leadership Fellows for the 2021-2022 academic year!

School of Global Environmental Sustainability names Leadership Fellows The new cohort represents 15 departments and units and six colleges at CSU.