Dr. Punya Nachappa
Entomology
Associate Professor
Lab: E207 Plant Sciences
Email: punya.nachappa@colostate.edu
Lab Website: nachappalab.com
Research Interests
My research seeks to understand outcomes and mechanisms underlying the interactions between the environment, plants, pathogens, and insect vectors. I am specifically interested in understanding these complex interactions as a means of managing plant pests and diseases. Two key questions of my research program are to understand ‘how plant viruses affect biology and ecology of their insect vectors? and (2) what plant and/or insect responses mediate plant-virus -vector interactions?’.
Selected Publications
Keough, S., Danielson. J., Marshall. J.M., Lagos-Kutz. D., Voegtlin. D.J., Rajagopalbabu. S., and Nachappa, P. 2018. Factors affecting population dynamics of thrips vectors of Soybean vein necrosis virus. Environmental Entomology 47(3): 734-740.
Keough, S, Han, J., Shuman, T., Wise, K., and Nachappa, P. 2017. Effects of Soybean vein necrosis virus on life history and host preference of its vector, Neohydatothrips variabilis and evaluation of vector status of Frankliniella tritici and F. fusca. Journal of Economic Entomology 110 (1): 133-141.
Selig, P, Keough, S, Nalam, V and Nachappa, P. 2016. Jasmonate-dependent plant defenses mediate soybean thrips and soybean aphid performance on soybean. Arthropod-Plant Interactions 10 (4) 273-282. DOI 10.1007/s11829-016-9437-9.
Nachappa, P., Culkin, C., Saya, P.M., Han, J., and Nalam, V. 2016. Water Stress modulates soybean aphid performance, feeding behavior, and virus transmission in soybean. Frontiers in Plant Science 7:552. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00552.
Nachappa, P., Levy, J., Pierson, E., and Tamborindeguy, C. 2014. Bacterial plant pathogen titer in its insect vector correlates with reduced population growth rate of the vector. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 115: 55-61.
Nachappa, P., Margolies, D. C., Nechols, J. R., Whitfield, A. E., and Rotenberg, D. 2013. Tomato spotted wilt virus benefits a non-vector arthropod, Tetranychus urticae, by modulating different plant responses in tomato. PLoS ONE 8(9): e75909.
Nalam, V.J., Shah. J., and Nachappa, P. 2013. Emerging role of roots in plant responses to aboveground insect herbivory. Insect Science 20: 286-296.
Hout, O.B., Nachappa, P., and Tamborindeguy, C. 2013. The evolutionary strategies for plant defenses have a dynamic impact on the adaptations and interactions of vectors and pathogens. Insect Science 20: 297-306.
Nachappa, P., Levy, J., and Tamborindeguy, C. 2012. Transcriptome analyses of Bactericera cockerelli adults in response to “Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum” infection. Molecular Genetics and Genomics 287: 803-817.
Nachappa, P., Shapiro, A. A., and Tamborindeguy, C. 2012. Effect of “Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum” on the fitness of its vector, Bactericera cockerelli (Hemiptera: Triozidae). Phytopathology 102 (1): 41-46.
Nachappa, P., Levy, J., Pierson, E., and Tamborindeguy, C. 2011. Diversity of endosymbionts in the potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli (Hemiptera: Triozidae) vector of zebra chip disease. Current Microbiology. 62: 1510-1520.