Growing up on her family’s coffee farm in India, Punya Nachappa quickly grew accustomed to the humungous flies and beetles buzzing around the fields. It was no surprise that she became obsessed with bugs.
“Entomology was by far my favorite subject,” Nachappa said. “We had to do insect collections in college; I was so enthusiastic that I would do the collections for all my friends. That’s how I met my husband.”
After earning a bachelor’s degree in agriculture in her home country, Nachappa pursued advanced degrees in entomology in the U.S. As a postdoctoral researcher, she received a National Science Foundation teaching fellowship to get undergraduate students excited about science. Joining Colorado State University in 2018 gave Nachappa an opportunity to lean more into research, working with farmers to address challenges related to crops critical to Colorado and the world — hemp, potatoes and, most importantly, wheat. Wheat is one of Colorado’s leading agricultural commodities, and the state ranks in the top 10 among wheat producers nationwide.
In eastern Colorado, wheat growers have struggled with a native pest called the wheat stem sawfly, which Nachappa and economists from the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics estimate is causing roughly $40 million in damage each year. The insect lays eggs in wheat stems, and the larva chew through the inside of the plant, causing it to topple over. The fallen plants are difficult to harvest, which can significantly impact yields.
Nachappa has been collaborating with scientists to deter the sawfly by breeding semi-solid wheat varieties with thicker stems. Recently, though, she stumbled on a more elegant solution — a naturally occurring fungus that appears to kill the insect but is not harmful to wheat. Nachappa plans to conduct initial small-scale field tests this summer. “I’m super excited,” Nachappa said. “Everything we’re seeing so far is really promising.”
Written By – Chris Outcalt
