Lina Bernaola

Areas of Expertise

• Host Plant Resistance
• Plant-Microbe-Insect Interactions
• Integrated Pest Management

Professional Summary

Lina Bernaola, Ph.D. is an assistant professor in the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Department of Entomology. She was born in Lima, Peru. Her research interests lie in both applied and fundamental aspects of plant-insect interactions and the influence of soil microbes (predominantly mutualistic fungi such as arbuscular mycorrhizae fungi, AMF) on plant defense and interactions with other organisms. In particular, her research focus is in the interactions of rice with its major insect pests in Texas. Dr. Bernaola uses multidisciplinary tools to study these complex interactions, including agronomy, plant biochemistry and physiology, insect physiology, and ecology. Broadly, her research seeks to identify and develop sustainable and cost-effective management programs for insect pests of rice.

Selected Publications

1. Bernaola, L., Butterfield, T.S., Tai, T.H., and M. Stout. 2021. Elucidating the role of epicuticular waxes in the resistance of rice to the rice water weevil and fall armyworm. Journal of Environmental Entomology. doi: 10.1093/ee/nvab038.
2. Bernaola, L., and M. Stout. 2020. The effect of mycorrhizal seed treatments on rice growth, yield, and tolerance to insect herbviores. Jounral of Pest Science. DOI: 10.1007/s10340- 020-01279-7.
3. Bernaola, L., and M. Stout. 2019. Effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on rice-herbivore interactions are soil-dependent. Scientific Reports 9:14037: 1-12. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-50354-2.
4. Bernaola, L., Cosme, M., Schneider, R., and M. Stout. 2018. Belowground inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi increases local and systemic susceptibility of rice plants to different pest organisms. Frontiers in Plant Science 9(747): 1-16. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.00747.
5. Bernaola, L., *Cange, G., Way, M., Gore, J., Hardke, J., and M. Stout. 2018. Natural Colonization of Rice by Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Different Production Areas. Rice Science 25(3): 169-174. DOI: 10.1016/j.rsci.2018.02.006.
6. Khan, N.,** Bernaola, L.,** Bedre, R.,** Parco, A.,** Hale, A., Kimbeng, C., Pontif, M., N. Baisakh. 2013. Identification of cold-responsive genes in sugar/energy cane for their use in genetic diversity analysis and future functional marker development. Plant Science 211: 122-131. **(equal contribution). DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2013.07.001.

All Publications

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