HLB Researcher Honored

Josh McGill Awards, Brazil

Fundecitrus researcher Marcelo Pedreira de Miranda has received the Outstanding Citriculture Engineer-Agronomist Award from the 48th Expocitrus and 44th Citriculture Week. The Brazilian entomologist, whose main studies are related to HLB, has worked at Fundecitrus since 2008.

researcher
Marcelo Pedreira de Miranda

The award ceremony where Miranda was honored was part of the opening afternoon of the exhibition week and was attended by authorities and representatives of the citrus sector.

“I am very happy to be able to contribute to pioneering studies related to monitoring the psyllid and also help to define the factors that lead to its dispersion through the orchards and control measures for the psyllid while we are unable to find a cure,” Miranda said. HLB, also known as greening, is spread by psyllids.

Dirceu de Mattos Jr., director of the Sylvio Moreira Citrus Research Center, said Miranda’s work “is part of a research program that is very important today, within the framework of coexistence and control of greening, the biggest challenge in citrus growing. Vector exclusion strategies on properties, resistance prevention, chemical control and other strategies that will slow disease progression become extremely important. Marcelo plays a fundamental role in this area, which integrates several work groups and has helped citriculture to form an opinion based on science for the best management practices in the field.”

Miranda has been coordinator of Fundecitrus’ entomology area since 2017 and is professor of the professional master’s course in citrus plant health (MasterCitrus). He is also a member of the Technical Committee of ProteCitrus and the Tactical Committee of Greening.

Miranda has delivered several lectures at national and international events and has authored dozens of scientific articles in magazines. The researcher’s main line of work is focused on ecology and integrated management of citrus insect pests, with an emphasis on insect vectors of diseases.

Source: Fundecitrus

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