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    Graduate prizes 2020: Marco honoured by Royal Entomological Society

    Posted 29 October 2020

    “The year I spent at Harper studying Entomology has been one of the best of my life. I have wanted to study entomology for years and just being there was gratifying."

    Marco honoured by Royal Entomology Society

    Marco honoured by Royal Entomology Society

    Marco Corradi has been announced as this year’s Royal Entomological Society MSc Entomology prize winner.

    The prize acknowledges the dedication and excellence in Entomology by students who are studying for their Masters degree.

    Marco, from Parma, Italy, has always had a passion for insects. He turned this passion into a career by completing postgraduate degree, enabling him to secure a position as Entomologist and Lab Manager at Berry Gardens Growers, a cooperative of growers from all across the UK producing soft and stone fruit to supply to major UK supermarkets.

    “My role includes analysing insect and mite samples sent from the Agronomy team to assist in devising pest control strategies. I must also keep abreast of pest research and communicate any insect-related novelty to this team,” Marco explained.

    “The year I spent at Harper studying Entomology has been one of the best of my life,” Marco added. “I have wanted to study entomology for years and just being there was gratifying. It was great to meet people, and friends, with interests in different fields and from disparate countries. Best of all, I finally got to know other entomologists; it’s not easy to find people who are that into insects!”

    “I have been passionate about insects ever since I can remember… Every summer I volunteer to monitor stag beetle populations in the Parmesan woods, and I used to have a large culture of leaf insects but I had to give them away when my mother started finding them on the kitchen curtains!”

    For his Masters thesis, Marco investigated the efficacy of commercially available entomopathogenic nematode species for the biological control of vine weevil larvae in soft fruit and ornamental crops, grown outdoors, indoors and in protected cropping contexts.

    Professor Simon Leather explained: “Marco completed a meta-analysis using data published over the past 40 years from studies on the use of entomopthogenic nematodes against this important pest. Results from this study identified the most effective nematode species, whether there were differences in efficacy between soft fruit and ornamental crops or between field or glasshouse situations as well as a range of other factors that may influence efficacy. These results will be of use to growers using entomopathogenic nematodes for the control of vine weevil. In order to more widely communicate these results Marco is currently preparing this work for submission to a suitable biological control journal.”

    The Royal Entomological Society is devoted to the promotion and development of entomological science.

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