O.E. Liburd

Oscar E. Liburd

oeliburd@ifas.ufl.edu

Contact Information

University of Florida
Department of Entomology and Nematology
P.O. Box 110620
Gainesville, FL 32611-0620

TEL: (352) 392-1901 Ext. 108 (Office)
TEL: (352) 392-1901 Ext. 182 (Lab)
FAX: (352) 392-0190

Laboratory website

(60% Research, 25% Extension, 15% Teaching)

Education

B.S., Entomology, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Florida, 1991
M.S., Entomology, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Florida, 1993
Ph.D., Entomology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, 1997

Employment

Associate Professor, Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 2006-present
Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 2001-2005
Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 1999-2001
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 1998-1999

Program Overview

Develop environmentally sound insect pest management programs in small fruits including blueberries, strawberries, grapes and blackberries, as well as for small-farm organic vegetable growers in Florida. Conduct basic and applied research in developing pest management program with minimal impact on the environment. Disseminate research-based information to other research and extension specialists, county agricultural agents, growers, various levels of government, and private-industry through an innovative educational program comprising grower meetings, workshops, in-service training sessions, newsletters, and the internet. Develop and update educational materials, and pest management recommendations targeting growers, agribusiness, IPM consultants, and county extension faculty.

Teaching

PMA 6228 / 4570: Field Techniques in IPM. Field Techniques in IPM is a required course for graduate students pursuing the Doctor of Plant Medicine degree, and entomology students majoring in pest management. The course emphasizes the practical aspects of pest management. Students taking the course will study various aspects of pest management, including monitoring, sampling, decision-making, biological control, pesticide usage and will learn how these techniques can be integrated into a comprehensive pest management program.

Selected Invited Presentations (2005-2007)

Liburd, O.E. 2007. Results from biological control studies of twospotted spider mites using predatory mites. Biological control workshop. Florida Horticultural Society, Palm Beach, Florida.
Liburd, O.E. 2007. IPM in small fruits focusing on blueberries. March 12, Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.
Liburd, O.E. 2007. Control of occasional insect pests in organic blueberries. Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference. January 5-6, Savannah, Georgia.
Liburd, O.E. 2007. Management of flea beetles in southern highbush and rabbiteye blueberries. Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference. January 5-6, Savannah, Georgia.
Liburd, O.E. 2006. Ecological management of insects on organic farms. Organic field day. September 19, Citra, Florida.
Liburd, O.E. 2006. Integrated pest management (IPM) in small fruits focusing on strawberries and grapes. Florida A&M University Research Seminar. October 17, Tallahassee, Florida.
Liburd, O.E. 2006. Management of thrips and gall midge. New Jersey Annual Vegetable meeting. January 10-12, Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Liburd, O.E. 2006. Thrips and blueberry gall midge control. Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference. January 5-6, Savannah, Georgia.

Honors and Awards

2007, Achievement award for research. Annual meeting of the Florida Entomological Society. July 16-19, Sarasota, Florida.
2006, Graduated from the Leadership Enhancement and Administrative Development (LEAD) program, Institute of Food &Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), Haines City, Florida.
2004, Excellence in Mentoring Graduate Students at the University of Florida, Gator Launch: Career Mentoring Program.
2003, Distinguished Young Alumnus Award for contributions to life sciences, Florida A&M University, College of Engineering Sciences, Technology and Agriculture.
2001, Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer Award, USDA, Peoria, Illinois.
2000, USDA Technology Award, for creating and transferring a device that controls fruit pests in an environmentally sound manner.
2000, 1st Place - Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station Grant Writing Competition.

Selected Grants (Career total = USD $2.5 million)

2007-2009, $93,000. EPA Region 4 - Evaluation of timing and frequency of inundative releases for the predatory mite Neoseiulus californicus for control of the twospotted spider mite in strawberries. Principal Investigator.
2006-2010, $350,000. USDA, CSREES Organic Transition Program - Organic production of blueberry in the southeastern United States: Development of best management practices. Principal Investigator.

Editor of Scholarly Journal

Associate Editor, Florida Entomologist
Associate Editor, Small Fruit Review

Selected Publications (2005-2007)

Book Chapters

Liburd, O.E., T.W. Nyoike, and C.A. Scott. (In Press). Cover, border and trap crops for pest and disease management. In J.L. Capinera (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Entomology, 2nd edition. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrect, The Netherlands.
Liburd O.E., and D.L. Frank. 2007. A review of synthetic and living mulches for control of homopteran pests (aphids and silverleaf whiteflies) and diseases in vegetables. In G. Saxena and K.G. Mukerji (Eds.), Management of Nematode and Insect Borne Diseases. The Haworth Press, Inc., New York, New York.
Liburd O.E., and H.A. Arévalo. 2005. Insects and mites in blueberries. In N.F. Childers (Ed.), Blueberry Culture: A Book for Growers. University of Florida Horticultural Publication. Gainesville, Florida.

Refereed Journals

Fraulo, A.B., and O.E. Liburd. 2007. Biological control of twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, with predatory mite, Neoseiulus californicus, in strawberries. Expermental and Applied Acarology 43: 109-119.
Arévalo, H.A., and O.E. Liburd. 2007. Horizontal and vertical distribution of flower thrips in southern highbush and rabbiteye blueberry fields, with notes on a new sampling method for thrips inside the flowers. Journal of Economic Entomology 100: 1622-1632.
Weihman, S.W., and O.E. Liburd. 2007. Seasonal distribution and evaluation of two trap types for monitoring grape root borer Vitacea polistiformis (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) in Florida vineyards. Florida Entomologist 90: 480-487.
Liburd, O.E., J.C. White, E.M. Rhodes, and A.A. Browdy. 2007. The residual and direct effects of reduced-risk and conventional miticides on twospotted spider mites, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) and predatory mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae). Florida Entomologist 90: 249-257.
Arévalo, H.A., and O.E. Liburd. 2007. Flower thrips, oviposition and dispersion behavior in early season blueberries. In D. Ullman, J. Moyer, R. Goldbach, and G. Moritz (Eds.), 2007, VIII International Symposium on Thysanoptera and Tospoviruses, September 11-15, 2005, Asilomar, Pacific Grove, California. 49 pp. Also published in Journal of Insect Science (2007) 7: 28.
Rhodes, E.M., and O.E. Liburd. 2006. Evaluation of predatory mites and acramite for control of twospotted spider mites in strawberries in north-central Florida. Journal of Economic Entomology 99: 1291-1298.
Rhodes, E.M., O.E. Liburd, C. Kelts, A.I. Rondon, and R.R. Francis. 2006. Comparison of single and combination treatments of Phytoseiulus persimilis, Neoseiulus californicus, and Acramite (bifenazate) for control of twospotted spider mites in strawberries. Experimental and Applied Acarology 39: 213-225.
Weihman, S.W., and O.E. Liburd. 2006. Mating disruption and attract-and-kill as reduced-risk strategies for control of grape root borer, Vitacea polistiformis (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) in Florida vineyards. Florida Entomologist 89: 245-250.
Myers, L., O.E. Liburd, and H.A. Arévalo. 2006. Survival of Geocoris punctipes Say (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae) following exposure to selected reduced-risk insecticides. Journal of Entomological Science 41: 57-64.
Stelinski, L.L., K.S. Pelz-Stelinski, O.E. Liburd, and L.J. Gut. 2006. Control strategies for Rhagoletis mendax disrupt host finding and ovipositional capability of its parasitic wasp, Diachasma alloeum. Biological Control 36: 91-99.
Sampson, J.B., T.A. Rinehart, O.E. Liburd, S.J. Stringer, and J.M. Spiers. 2006. Ecology of endoparasitoids (Hymenoptera) attacking cranberry and blueberry tipworms Dasineura oxycoccana Johnson and Prodiplosis vaccinii (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 99: 113-120.
Liburd, O.E., T.C. Holler, J.C. Turner, and A.L. Moses. 2006. Toxicity of insecticide-treated spheres to Caribbean fruit fly, Anastrepha suspensa, and Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae). Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society 118: 275-278.
Frank, D.L., and O.E. Liburd. 2005. Effects of living and synthetic mulch on the population dynamics of whiteflies and aphids, their associated natural enemies and insect-transmitted plant diseases in zucchini. Environmental Entomology 34: 857-865.
Pelz-Stelinski, K.S., L.J. Gut, L.L. Stelinski, O.E. Liburd, and R. Isaacs. 2005. Captures of Rhagoletis mendax and R. cingulata (Diptera: Tephritidae) on sticky traps are influenced by adjacent host fruit and fruit juice concentrates. Environmental Entomology 34: 1013-1018.
Dernisky, A.K., R.C. Evans, O.E. Liburd, and K. Mackenzie. 2005. Characterization of early floral damage by cranberry tipworm (Dasineura oxycoccana Johnson) as a precursor to reduced fruit set in rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei Reade). International Journal of Pest Management 51: 143-148.
White, J.C., and O.E. Liburd. 2005. Effects of soil moisture and temperature on reproduction and development of twospotted spider mites Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) in strawberries. Journal of Economic Entomology 98: 154-158.
Stelinski, L.L., and O.E. Liburd. 2005. Behavioral evidence for host fidelity among populations of the parasitic wasp Diachasma alloeum: parasitoids tracking the sympatric speciation of their Rhagoletis fly hosts. Naturwissenshaften 92: 65-68.

Revised December 2007