Dr. David Ragsdale Named New Department Head
Dr. David Ragsdale
The Department of Entomology and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has named Dr. David Ragsdale to Department Head.
Ragsdale will begin his new position on October 1. Before coming to Texas A&M, Ragsdale was Professor and Interim department head for the Department of Entomology at the University of Minnesota and served as the director for graduate studies in the department.
Ragsdale has been a professor in the Department of Entomology at the University of Minnesota for 29 years. His research focuses in two broad areas: the management of insect vectors of plant pathogens and using arthropod herbivores to control invasive perennial plants.
While at Minnesota, he led an intensive multistate effort in the North Central United States on the invasive aphid, Aphis glycines, or soybean aphid, whose native range is Asia. Ragsdale and his colleagues have studied the overwintering biology of this aphid, evaluated the vector potential of this new exotic aphid, conducted foreign exploration for natural enemies of the soybean aphid in China, Japan and Korea for possible introduction into the U.S., and have developed management strategies to help soybean producers minimize losses caused by this invasive insect. In 2003, the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council recognized Dr. Ragsdale for his pioneering work on soybean aphid biology in North America.
In addition to his work with soybean aphids, Ragsdale is also a recognized authority in the area of potato pest management. He has developed non-chemical control strategies which limit the spread of aphid-transmitted plant viruses in seed potato. His work has been implemented by virtually every seed potato growing region in North America.
His work also includes molecular characterization of plant virus strains, identifying resistant genes in wild Solanum germplasm that might impart resistance to both aphids and viruses in cultivated potato, and practical application of cultural practices that limit the spread of aphid transmitted viruses. In 2002, Ragsdale and his colleague Dr. Edward Radcliffe, were jointly awarded the Meritorious Service Award by the National Potato Council for their work on aphid transmitted viruses in potatoes and a research article published in the American Journal of Potato Research was selected as the Outstanding Paper for 2004.
Ragsdale holds both a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in Entomology and a minor in Microbiology from Louisiana State University. He received his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Point Loma College in San Diego, California.