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Dr. Scott Salom
Entomology
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Dr. Salom is a Professor in the Department of Entomology at Virginia Tech, where he also serves as the Graduate Student Director. Additionally, he has a courtesy appointment in the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation. His research program covers the broad areas of forest entomology and biological control. In relation to global change, Dr. Salom works with non-native invasive insect and weed pests of forest ecosystems. He studies the biological systems and applies that knowledge toward developing tactics and strategies for management of these pests. The focus is on use of natural enemies (insects and pathogens) that are specific to the pests in their native habitat.
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Dr. Salom has been working on the biological control of hemlock woolly adelgid, tree-of-heaven, emerald ash borer, and most recently spotted lanternfly. With a USDA, APHIS certified Beneficial Insects Quarantine Laboratory at Price’s Fork Research Station, he has been able to study natural enemies of these pests and assess their suitability as potential biological control agents prior to their release.
Dr. Salom teaches Forest and Tree Pest Management (FREC 4514) and Biological Control of Arthropod and Weed Pests (ENTO 5234). As a member Invasive Species Working Group for GCC (https://www.globalchange.vt.edu/invasive-species-working-group/), he has served as a co-instructor for special topics graduate courses that evaluate the role of science in developing and drafting policy needed to address the invasive species crisis.
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In the News
Scott Salom’s research on biological control of the hemlock wooly adelgid highlighted in Science
Virginia Tech researchers tackle the biological invasions crisis
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Recent Relevant Publications
Brooks, R. K. G, A. L. Snyder, E. Bush, S. M. Salom, and A. Baudoin. 2020. First report of Verticillium wilt caused by Verticillium dahliae impacting Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven) in Virginia, US. Plant Disease. 104 (5): 1558. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-10-19-2064-PDN
Brooks, Rachel G, Kristen Wickert, Antonius Baudoin, Matthew Kasson, and Scott Salom. Field-inoculated Ailanthus altissima stands reveal the biological control potential of Verticillium nonalfalfae in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Biological Control. 148: 104298 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2020.104298
Crandall, Ryan S., Carrie S. Jubb G, Albert E. Mayfield III, Biff Thompson, Thomas J. McAvoy, Scott M. Salom, and Joseph S. Elkinton. 2020. Rebound of Adelges tsugae spring generation following predation on overwintering generation ovisacs by the introduced predator Laricobius nigrinus in the eastern United States. Biological Control. 145: 104264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2020.104264
Jubb, Carrie S G, Ariel Heminger G, Albert E. Mayfield III, Joseph Elkinton, Gregory J. Wiggins, Jerome F. Grant, Jeff Lombardo, Thomas McAvoy, Ryan Crandall and Scott Salom. 2020.. Impact of the biological control agent, Laricobius nigrinus, on hemlock woolly adelgid sistens generation and their ovisacs in the eastern United States. Biological Control. 143: 104180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2019.104180
Ragozzino, Max G, Ryan Meyer, Jian Duan, Ben Slager, and Scott Salom. 2020. Differences in early season emergence and reproductive activity between Spathius agrili (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and Spathius galinae, larval parasitoids of the invasive emerald ash borer (Coleoptera: Buprestidae). Environ. Entomol. 49: 334-341. https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvz168
Toland, Ashley A.G, Holly A. Wantuch G, Donald E. Mullins, Thomas P. Kuhar, and Scott M. Salom. 2019. Seasonal assessment of supercooling points for two introduced and one native Laricobius spp. (Coleoptera: Derodontidae), predators of Adelgidae. Insects. 10 (12), 426 https://doi:10.3390/insects10120426.
Wantuch, HollyG, Nathan Havill, Edward Hoebeke, Thomas Kuhar, and Scott Salom. 2019. Predators associated with the pine bark adelgid (Hemiptera: Adelgidae), a native insect in Appalachian forests, United States of America, in its southern range. Canadian Entomologist. 151: 73-84. https://doi.org/10.4039/tce.2018.53.
For a complete list of published work, please see Dr. Salom’s Google Scholar site.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator style=”shadow”][/vc_column][/vc_row]