John Sedlacek

Additional Information

Education

B.S. Biology, Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, OH, 1977
M..En., Environmental Science, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 1979
Ph.D., Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 1985

Research Focus

Evaluation, development, and integration of entomopathogens, transgenic insecticidal cultivars (TIC), parasitoids, and predators for management of beetle and moth pests of stored products. Primary interests are evaluation and development of novel isolates of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and TIC for controlling beetle and moth pests of stored grains (corn), interactions of Bt, TIC, and beneficial insects, life histories of parasitoids and predators, environmental studies, deployment protocols, and impact on grain quality. The overall objective is to develop alternative management tactics and strategies for management of insect pests of stored grain that minimize reliance on synthetic chemical pesticides.

Current Projects

"Impact of Transgenic Grain on Pest and Beneficial Insect Populations Under Different Storage Conditions."

"Life History Attributes of Stored Grain Moth Pests as Influenced by Bacillus thuringiensis Cry 1Ab Transformed Corn."

"Influence of Cry 9C Bacillus thuringiensis Transformed Seed Corn on Stored Grain Moth Pests."

Support Staff
Co-Investigator: Karen Friley

Student Involvement

Undergraduate and Graduate students conduct original research related to the current projects being investigated. Undergraduate students may satisfy Biology Department major requirements by enrolling in BIO 410 and conducting one or more experiments and writing a paper on the research they perform. Exceptionally talented students are hired as part time undergraduate research assistants during the school year and for full time summer employment. Graduate students conduct research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. Currently I have two M.S. students working on degree programs and conducting their research in my laboratory and at the stored grain research facility at the KSU Agricultural Research Farm. Two undergraduate students are working in my laboratory this year and are conducting BIO 410 related research.

Recent Publications

• Sedlacek, J.D. and P.V. Vail. 2000. Application and Evaluation of Entomopathogens for Managing Lepidoptera in Stored Products. In Field Techniques in Invertebrate Pathology, (eds. L. Lacey and H. Kaya). Klewer, Netherlands.
• Price, B.D., J.D. Sedlacek and P.A. Weston. 1999. Quality of on-farm stored shelled corn as influenced by pirimiphos-methyl and thiabendazole. J. Entomol. Sci. 34: 225-238.
• Sedlacek, J.D., B.D. Price, M.J. Sharkey and S.J. Hill, Jr. 1998. Parasitoids found in on-farm stored shelled corn in Kentucky. J. Agric. Entomol. 15: 223-230.
• Sedlacek, J.D., R.J. Barney, P.A. Weston and B.D. Price. 1998. Efficacy of malathion against coleopteran populations in newly-harvested vs year-old stored corn. J. Entomol. Sci. 33: 282-291
• Sedlacek, J.D., P.A. Weston, B.D. Price, and P.L. Rattlingourd. 1998. Survey of insect pests in shelled corn stored on-farm in Kentucky. J. Entomol. Sci. 33: 171-179.
• Hill, S.J.,Jr., J.D. Sedlacek, P.A. Weston, J.H. Tidwell, K.D. Davis, and W.L. Knight. 1997. Effects of diet and organic fertilization on water quality, and benthic macroinvertebrate populations in ponds used to culture freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii. J. Applied Aquaculture. 7: 19-32.
• Tidwell, J.H., S.D. Coyle, C.D. Webster, J.D. Sedlacek, P.A. Weston, W.L. Knight, S.J. Hill, Jr., L.R. D’Abramo, W.H. Daniels, and M.J. Fuller. 1996. Relative prawn production and macroinvertebrate densities in unfed, organically fertilized, and fed pond systems. Aquaculture. 149: 227-242.