Applied Research for Pest Management in Georgia’s Tree Nut & Fruit Crops

The Barman Lab at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus conducts applied research focused on sustainable insect pest management in tree nut and fruit cropping systems, with particular emphasis on pecan and citrus production in Georgia and the southeastern United States. Our program integrates insect ecology, biological control, host plant resistance, insect-plant interactions, molecular diagnostics, and precision agriculture technologies to address emerging pest challenges affecting specialty crops. 

Research in the lab spans multiple areas, including the development of insect monitoring tools, evaluation of biological and chemical management strategies, studies of insect-plant interactions at molecular and biochemical levels, investigation of genetic diversity within pest and beneficial insect populations, and research on insect-vectored bacterial pathogens such as pecan bacterial leaf scorch and citrus greening-associated pathogens.

In addition to research, our program actively contributes to Extension and outreach through grower meetings, field days, county collaborations, Extension publications, and stakeholder education programs across Georgia.