María Belén Aguirre

María Belén Aguirre

Postdoctoral Student CONICET/FuEDEI
Advisors: Logarzo Guillermo, Virla Eduardo Gabriel


Email:
 redbell_@hotmail.com
Area of Expertise: Pests
PublicationsResearch Gate 
CONICET Profile : Ver en CONICET

Licentiate in Biological Sciences, University of Buenos Aires, 2012
Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, University of Buenos Aires, 2018

Research Focus:


I have been working at the Foundation for the Study of Invasive Species with a CONICET scholarship since April 2013. While earning my Ph.D., I was involved in the cactus mealybug biological control project, focusing on the study of the interactions of the natural enemies of the cactus mealybug, Hypogeococcus sp., and their effect on the control of this pest.

Methodological approaches were developed to estimate the most appropriate release strategy of natural enemies when there is a group of candidate species.

My postdoctoral project is focused on the biological control of leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Proconiini, Cicadellini), vectors of Variegated Citrus Chlorosis, using egg parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae and Trichogrammatidae). The main objective is to study different egg parasitoids to select those with the greatest potential as biological control agents in NOA and NEA citrus agroecosystems.

Current research projects:


• Hypogeococcus sp. (Cactus mealybug), 2010 to date.
• Citrus Variegated Chlorosis (CVC), 2018 to date.