Dr. Forrest Mitchell
I am a research project leader for the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Stephenville, TX as well as an associate professor in the Dept. of Entomology, Texas A&M University, adjunct professor at Tarleton State University and adjunct associate professor at Oklahoma State University. My degrees are in Wildlife Science (Bachelors of Science) and Entomology (Masters) from Texas A&M University and a doctoral degree in Entomology from Louisiana State University. Stephenville has been my home since 1984. It is very rural, but close enough to Dallas-Ft. Worth that it isn’t difficult to go get a good meal and drop a lot of money on an evening out.
Current research is on Pierce’s disease of grape and zebra chip of potato. Our main goal is to try and develop sustainable management approaches for PD. The lab takes a high tech approach, but looks for low tech solutions. Past research that has resulted in successful management of insect transmitted diseases includes programs on tomato spotted wilt virus infecting peanut (we narrowed the planting date to a four week window) and cucurbit yellow vine disease of melons (managed with a trap crop of squash). These are low input, sustainable management programs developed in the context of multi-disciplinary research. When not contemplating pathogens, I enjoy working with creatures big enough to see without a microscope, especially dragonflies.