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Doctoral Student

SHANNON HEUBERGER

Advisor:

Yves Carrière and Tim Dennehy

Contact Info:

Marley 610/Forbes 434
(520) 621-5346, (520) 621-4981
heubergs@ag.arizona.edu

Research and Interests:

Arizona is an important producer of cotton seed for the United States and the rest of the world. Maintaining the purity of cotton varieties is a priority for seed producers, yet we documented contamination of non-Bt cotton seed by Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) varieties at low levels. For my dissertation, I am studying the role of pollinating insects, particularly bees, in vectoring this type of gene flow between crop fields. I am also studying the effects of distance between fields, farming practices, and fitness of contaminant plants in fields on contamination levels. The overall objective of my research is to outline strategies that reduce contamination of cotton seed production fields.

Publications:

• Showalter A.M., S. Heuberger, B.E. Tabashnik, and Y. Carrière (2009)  Development, agronomic performance and sustainability of transgenic cotton for insect control.  Pp. 49-71.  In: R.B. Tripp (Ed.).  Biotechnology and agricultural development: Transgenic cotton, rural institutions and resource-poor farmers. Routledge, London.
• Showalter, A.M., S. Heuberger, B.E. Tabashnik, and Y. Carrière (2009) A primer for the use of insecticidal transgenic cotton in developing countries. 39 pp. Journal of Insect Science 9:22, available online at insectscience.org/9.22.
• Heuberger, S., C. Yafuso, B.E. Tabashnik Y. Carrière, and T.J. Dennehy (2008) Outcrossed cottonseed and adventitious Bt plants in Arizona refuges. Environmental Biosafety Research 7:87-96.
• Heuberger, S., C. Ellers-Kirk, C. Yafuso, A. Gassman, B.E. Tabashnik, T.J. Dennehy, and Y. Carrière (2008).  Effects of refuge contamination by transgenes on Bt resistance in pink bollworm (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae). Journal of Economic Entomology 101:504-514.
• Showalter, A.M., S. Heuberger, B.E. Tabashnik and Y. Carrière (2008) Agronomic performance of transgenic, insect-resistant cotton in developing countries. Report for Oxfam America, 72 pp.
• Carrière, Y., C. Ellers-Kirk, K. Kumar, S. Heuberger, M. Whitlow, L. Antilla, T.J. Dennehy, and B.E. Tabashnik (2005) Long-term evaluation of compliance with refuge requirements for Bt cotton. Pest Management Science 61:327-330.