Laramy Enders
Role in Phytobiomes Alliance
Affiliation
Purdue University – College of Agriculture
Position
Associate Professor, Plant and insect microbiomes
Research Interests
I lead the Plant-Insect Microbiomes lab in the Entomology Department at Purdue University. My research program employs a systems-level approach to investigate relationships between insect herbivores, host plants and their microbial partners. My goal is to improve our understanding of the ecological factors driving microbiome assembly in agricultural environments and apply this knowledge to improve crop health and pest management. Topics of interest include:
- Development of precision microbiome management practices in agriculture
- Microbe-mediated protection against insect damage across diverse crop plants
- How insect microbial symbionts influence transmission of plant pathogens that limit agricultural production
Current Phytobiomes-related Projects
- Applying plant-focused methods to generate beneficial soil and root microbiomes that protect crops from pests
- Developing ecological models to understand how microbes impact the spread of insect vectored plant pathogens