Floriculture and Nursery Entomology Specialist in Cooperative Extension
Department of Entomology,
UC Davis (100% CE)
Position Description: This Floriculture and Nursery CE Entomology Specialist would serve as a
statewide resource in arthropod identification, biology/ecology and integrated pest management of
arthropods and invasive species attacking ornamental plants in ornamental plant production systems
(nursery and floriculture). The candidate must have a PhD in Entomology and experience with applied
aspects of entomology in horticulture or plant agriculture. The position would be based in the Department
of Entomology at UC Davis. The Specialist is expected to interact closely with Specialists and faculty in
the Departments of Entomology and other relevant disciplines (biocontrol, invasives, toxicology, nursery
& floriculture production, turf, plant pathology, weed science, water quality, etc.) at all UC campuses
where there is a focus and interest in the ornamental plant industries. The Specialist is also expected to
work with CE county advisors to support projects involving integrated pest management programs and
the management of invasive pests in ornamental plant production systems.
Justification: In California, 55 of 58 counties rank nursery and floriculture crops among the top
agricultural sectors in their county and combined, this is worth a wholesale value of $3.29 billion,
ranking it second behind Dairy. There has been an 8% increase in the value of floriculture crops in
California since 2009. Total retail sales in California exceed $11 billion and there has been a 7.4%
average annual growth rate over a 15-year period (1992-2007). In addition to wholesale and retail sales,
the California nursery and floriculture industry generate 192,065 jobs worth $5.6 billion to the states
economy.
There is an extremely important industry across the state and there is a dedicated and
organized ANR workgroup of county advisors/specialists and academics who meet regularly and design
educational/outreach programs for this industry through the UC Nursery and Floriculture Alliance (based
in the CA&ES and connected to the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis). They have formally
asked the Department of Entomology to support this position and we have agreed.
Relevance to the ANR Strategic Vision: This position will further the ANR Vision to promote healthy
communities and environments and engage all levels of the ANR continuum with the people of
California. A focus will be to develop and extend environmentally sound pest management programs for
arthropod pests in the ornamental plant industries.
ANR Initiatives to be Addressed: The Floriculture and Nursery Entomology Specialist will address the
following ANR Strategic Initiatives: Endemic and Invasive Pests and Diseases, Healthy Families and
Communities, and Water Quality, Quantity, and Security. Many invasive pests arrive and then establish in
California through the nursery industry and into urban and suburban landscapes and addressing these
issues will be a key responsibility. Additional priorities for this position would address pesticide use that
directly affects water quality, pesticide exposure, and pesticide runoff.
Extension and Teaching: The candidate will be expected to develop a strong CE program to demonstrate
and extend information related to identifying and managing pests in nurseries, greenhouses, and
landscapes. The candidate will be expected to extend information through UCANR publications as well
as presentations, and use electronic media to reach this large and diverse audience. The candidate must
work closely with farm advisors to set priorities for applied research and extension.
Research: The successful candidate will focus his/her research on applied entomology and its application
that will include the development, implementation, and delivery of a research-based, extension program
to support Integrated Pest Management of insect and mite pests affecting ornamental plant production in
California. This could include working on new invasive or endemic insects and their management,
biological control, host plant resistance or plant choice, managing insecticide resistance, and arthropod
vectors of plant disease. To meet current and emerging challenges, the candidate would develop a
research program that applies current and cutting edge technologies in response to the stated needs of the
county Advisors, regulatory and other governmental agencies, pest management practitioners, and other
agribusiness stakeholders. Solutions and strategies developed must be durable, economical and both
environmentally and socially acceptable if they are to remain effective against key pest species. The
candidate will be expected to publish in high impact journals appropriate to the appointment as well as in
extension publications for clientele.
ANR Continuum: At present there are no entomology specialists working in this area of study.
However, there are OR/I&R academics working in this area at the Davis (Parrella) and Riverside (Redak
and Paine) campuses. In addition, there is a group of specialists and academics conducting
research/outreach related to the floriculture and nursery industries in the Department of Plant Sciences at
UC Davis. The successful candidate will be expected to bridge all these groups and to conduct research
on insects and mites with the long-term goals of developing environmentally sound, systems-based,
integrated insect and mite management strategies. Key activities will be coordinating with Floriculture,
Nursery and Environmental Horticulture Advisors and public agencies to deliver a program that addresses
priority issues and problems. This position would also reinforce the investment the University and
campus is making in the developing a core group of Specialists and AES academics addressing pest and
pesticide issues in ornamental production. The extension and research programs developed are expected
to involve collaboration with research and extension faculty within the departments of Entomology, Plant
Pathology, Botany and Plant Science, Nematology, Environmental Sciences, at UC Davis, UC Riverside,
and UC Berkeley. In addition, the Specialist will provide leadership for planning and coordination of
statewide extension education and information transfer programs related to arthropods attacking
ornamental plants in California working with Farm Advisors throughout the state and linking with UC
IPM Program, Invasive and Endemic Pests Strategic Initiative Group, and the ornamental horticulture
workgroups.
Departmental Connection: The Department of Entomology has identified five areas of core
competency and excellence and we are committed to maintaining and building these into the future. This
position will likely contribute to two of these areas: Insect Behavioral Ecology (IBE) and Sustainable
Insect Management (SIM). The IBE group focuses on the whole insect and its environment, with
particular emphasis on behavioral and community ecology and demography. Faculty in the area include
include James Carey, Richard Karban, Sharon Lawler, Jay Rosenheim, Neal Williams, Ed Caswel-Chen,
and Louie Yang. The SIM area has been one of the department’s greatest strengths, with specialization in
invasion biology, biological control, insect pathology, urban entomology and apiculture. Faculty members
contributing to this area of emphasis include James Carey, Mary Louise Flint, Larry Godfrey, Edwin
Lewis, Howard Ferris, Becky Westerdahl, Eric Mussen, Michael Parrella, Jay Rosenheim, Charlie
Summers, Diane Ullman and Frank Zalom.
This specialist position is directly related to Dr. Parrella’s research, teaching and outreach program and he
is strong supportive of securing this position for Entomology at Davis. Space is an issue in the
Department of Entomology at the moment, but Dr. Parrella is willing to share his laboratory with the
successful candidate. In addition (and maybe even more importantly), Dr. Parrella is willing to share his
more than 6000 ft2 of greenhouse/headhouse space with the successful candidate. Much of this space is
outside the core greenhouse complex run by the CA&ES, so no recharge is associated with using this
space.
Support: Clerical and other administrative support for day-to-day activities would be provided by staff in
the Department of Entomology at UC Davis, where the specialist’s office and laboratory facilities would
be located. An account manager in the Phoenix administrative cluster at UC Davis would handle grant
administration and personnel matters. The candidate would receive departmental support for his or her
program according to the same formula used for all other faculty members/Extension Specialists in the
Department of Entomology.
Other Support: There are numerous sources of research funding from local commodity groups
associated with ornamental plants (e.g. California Association of Nurseries and Garden Centers,
California Landscape Contractors Association), and there are many other potential sources of funds from
agencies that focus on research and extension including: CDFA, USDA, US EPA, NSF, NIH, California
Departments of Pesticide Regulation and Food and Agriculture, California Water Quality Control Boards,
and other public agencies. Commodity group grants typically are <$50,000, whereas funding from
governmental agencies range $50,000 to 100,000 per year or more.
Location: This position would be located on the UC Davis Campus in the Department of Entomology
where there is a strong infrastructure for invasive pest research and biocontrol, both academically and
physically. In addition, potential collaborators exist in the departments of Nematology, Plant Pathology
and Plant Sciences where researchers study Crop and Ecosystem Sciences, Horticultural Sciences and
Agricultural Plant Biology. Wholesale plant nurseries, greenhouses, urban landscapes and a very active
group of Advisors working in various aspects of landscape maintenance and floriculture & nursery
production are all located within 150 miles of the campus.