Rate My Professor Alejandro Del-Pozo

Alejandro Del-Pozo is an Assistant Professor of Entomology at Virginia Tech, specializing in applied insect ecology with emphasis on turfgrass and ornamentals. He is affiliated with the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center and the Department of Entomology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Del-Pozo leads applied research and extension programs to implement integrated pest management (IPM) solutions for turfgrass and ornamental stakeholders throughout Virginia. His research aims to broaden IPM toolboxes by integrating remote pest monitoring, biological control, and sustainable practices to manage pests effectively in these systems. He addresses invasive species such as box tree moth, arborvitae leafminer, obscure scale, and diamondback moth through targeted studies and recommendations.

Prior to joining Virginia Tech in 2020, Del-Pozo served as an IPM-Entomology Advisor with the University of California Cooperative Extension in the Salinas Valley, where he devised pest management tactics for aphids, thrips, and diamondback moth in vegetables. These included automated monitoring traps, drone-released beneficial insects like lacewings, insectary plants, and alternative insecticides to pyrethroids and neonicotinoids. Del-Pozo holds a B.S. in Agronomy from La Molina National Agrarian University, an M.S. in Entomology from Washington State University, and a Ph.D. in Entomology from North Carolina State University. His influential publications include "First-Generation Megacopta cribraria (Hemiptera: Plataspidae) Can Develop on Soybeans" (Journal of Economic Entomology, 2013), "Biology, pest status, microbiome and control of kudzu bug (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Plataspidae): a new invasive pest in the US" (International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2016), "Economic Injury Levels for Bt-resistant Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Cotton" (Journal of Economic Entomology, 2021), "Epidemiology and economic impact of impatiens necrotic spot virus: a resurging pathogen affecting lettuce in the Salinas Valley of California" (Plant Disease, 2023), and "In-field evaluation of drone-released lacewings for aphid control in California organic lettuce" (Journal of Economic Entomology, 2021). Through Virginia Cooperative Extension, he contributes pest management guides and fact sheets that directly support horticultural and agricultural practitioners.