Patricia Ortega-Ramos

Patricia works on understanding the ecological processes and interactions between pests and natural enemies, as well as the effects of agricultural practices on them. During her PhD she studied the management and environmental factors affecting cabbage stem flea beetle (Psylliodes chrysocephala, CSFB)  population changes in the UK as well as their effect on CSFB migration movements. She also studied the ecology, distribution and parasitism rates of both CSFB adult and larval parasitoids in the UK, as well as developing different techniques to detect parasitism. Patricia is now also working on reducing the impact cabbage stem flea beetle by breeding resistant cultivars of oilseed rape. She aims to use this knowledge to develop agroecological approaches for pest control; for example the enhancement of beneficial insects or the development of Integrated Pest Management tools that will help farmers to reduce pesticide usage while increasing their production.