Agricultural doctoral students at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore for the first time have been chosen to attend the Farm Foundation Round Table held annually in El Paso, Texas. Freweyni Abrha (far left) and Kimberly Okpah will represent UMES at the invitational event Jan. 13-16 as part of the Farm Foundation’s Cultivar Program.
They will join fellow graduate students and undergraduates from across the country in networking with food and agriculture leaders who meet to “discuss emerging issues in agribusiness, the food system and rural communities.” Abrha and Okpah will also present their research conducted within UMES’ Department of Agriculture, Food and Resource Sciences.
Abrha (Ethiopia) will present her research titled “Corn Earworm (Helicoverpa zea) Herbivory Induced Cannabinoid Biosynthesis and Defense Gene Expression in Boax and Berry Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) Varieties.”
The study explores the biochemical and molecular interactions between hemp and the corn earworm. The goal, she said, is to better understand how insect herbivory influences cannabinoid biosynthesis, jasmonic acid signaling and defense-related gene expression. Abrha’s focus is on broader applications of cannabinoid research, including medical, biochemical and therapeutic potential. She is committed to contributing to evidence-rooted innovation in the cannabis field.
Okpah’s (Upper Marlboro, Maryland) presentation, “Efficacy of Field-Collected Pathogens Against Chewing and Sucking Insects,” is centered on insect science and sustainable agriculture. She is exploring the use of a fungus, harmful only to insects, as an alternative means of pest control compared to chemical pesticides and insecticide.
She is pursuing a career as a research scientist in entomology where she aims to contribute to “innovative solutions that support crop health and integrated pest management.”
“Having our students selected as Farm Foundation Cultivators places them among the nation’s leaders of the food and agriculture value chain to examine and discuss critical issues shaping the industry,” said Logan Quinn with the School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences’ Center for Student Excellence.
“We are tremendously proud of their accomplishment, which also reflects the strong support and mentorship our students receive from faculty within our agricultural programs,” Quinn said.
The students’ participation as representatives of an 1890 land-grant institution is supported by a U.S. Department of Agriculture, System Approach to Promote Learning and Innovation for the Next Generations of Professionals in Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Human Sciences (SAPLINGS) grant to the foundation.
Gail Stephens, agricultural communications and media associate, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, UMES Extension, gcstephens@umes.edu., 410-621-3850.
Photo submitted
