Dr. Kaushalya G. Amarasekare

Dr. Kaushalya G. Amarasekare
Associate Professor and Extension Specialist (Entomology)

Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
College of Agriculture

Contact information:
Office: 204 C Farrell Westbrook Ag Complex
Fruit, Vegetable and Field Crop Entomology Lab: 136 Farrell Westbrook Ag Complex
Phone: (615) 963-5001 (Office), 615 963 6154 (Lab)
Fax: (615) 963-5436
Email: kamarase@tnstate.edu
Website link

Research Areas:
Integrated pest management (IPM)
Biological control
Pest and natural enemy monitoring
Effects of reduced risk and less risk insecticides on natural enemies
Pesticide efficacy
Biology and life history of pests and natural enemies
Effects of temperature on development, reproduction and survival of pests and natural enemies
Exotic invasive pest insect management
Alternative arthropod pest management practices such as use of insectary plants

Selected Publications:
Amarasekare, K. G., and P. W. Shearer. 2020. Residual Effects of Insecticide on Deraeocoris brevis (Hemiptera: Miridae). Journal of Economic Entomology. 113: 1-6. doi: 10.1093/jee/toz324
Amarasekare, K. G., P.H. Brown and P. W. Shearer. 2019. Field-aged insecticide residues on Chrysoperla johnsoni (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae). Journal of Economic Entomology. 112: 2109-2115. doi: 10.1093/jee/toz149.
Amarasekare, K. G. and P. W. Shearer. 2017. Stability of Cacopsylla pyricola (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) populations in Pacific Northwest pear orchards
managed with long-term mating disruption for Cydia pomonella (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Insects 8 (4), 105; doi:10.3390/insects8040105 (Special Issue).
Choi, M-Y., Tang, S. B., Ahn, S-J, Amarasekare, K. G., Shearer, P. and Lee, J. C. 2017. Effect of non-nutritive sugars to decrease the survivorship of spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii. J. of Insect Physiology. 99:86-94.
Amarasekare, K. G., P. W. Shearer and N. J. Mills. 2016. Testing the selectivity of pesticide effects on natural enemies in laboratory bioassays. Biological Control. 102: 7-16. (Special Issue).
Beers, E. H., Mills, N. J., Shearer, P. W., Horton, D.R., Milickzy, E., Amarasekare, K. G. and Gontijo, L.M. 2016. Nontarget effects of orchard pesticides on natural enemies: lessons from the field and laboratory. Biological Control. 102: 44-52. (Special Issue).
Shearer, P. W., Amarasekare, K. G., Mills, N. J., Castagnoli S., Beers, E. H., Jones, V. P. and Mills, N. J. 2016. Large-plot field studies to assess impacts of newer insecticides on non-target arthropods in Western U.S. orchards. Biological Control. 102: 26-34. (Special Issue).
Mills, N. J., Beers, E. H., Shearer, P. W., Unruh, T., and Amarasekare, K. G. 2016. Comparative analysis of pesticide effects on natural enemies in western orchards: a synthesis of laboratory bioassay data. Biological Control. 102: 17-25. (Special Issue).
Jones, V., Horton, D.R., Mills, N. J., Unruh, T., Baker, C., Melton, T., Milickzy, E., Steffan, S., Shearer, P. W., and Amarasekare, K. G. 2016. Evaluating plant volatiles for monitoring natural enemies in apple, pear and walnut orchards. Biological Control. 102: 53-65. (Special Issue).
Jones, V., Horton, D.R., Mills, N. J., Unruh, T., Milickzy, E., Shearer, P. W., Amarasekare, K. G., Baker, C., and Melton, T. 2016. Using plant volatile traps to develop phenology models for natural enemies: An example using Chrysopa nigricornis (Burmeister) Neuroptera: Chrysopidae). Biological Control. 102: 77-84. (Special Issue).
Mills, N. J., Jones, V., Baker, C., Melton, T., Steffan, S., Unruh, T., Horton, D.R., Shearer, P. W., Amarasekare, K. G., and Milickzy, E. 2016. Using plant volatiles traps to estimate the diversity of natural enemy communities in orchard ecosystems. Biological Control. 102: 66-76. (Special Issue).
Jones, V., Mills, N. J., Brunner, J.F., Horton, D.R., Beers, E. H., Unruh, T., Shearer, P. W., Goldberger, J., Gallardo, K., Castagnoli, S., Lehrer, N., Steffan, S., Amarasekare, K. G., Chambers, U., and Gadino, A.N. 2016. From planning to execution to the future: an overview of a concerted effort to enhance biological control in apple, pear and walnut orchards in the western U.S. Biological Control. 102: 1-6. (Special Issue).
Amarasekare, K. G. and P. W. Shearer. 2013c. Life history comparison of two green lacewings species, Chrysoperla johnsoni and Chrysoperla carnea (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae). Environmental Entomology. 42:1079-1084.
Amarasekare, K. G. and P. W. Shearer. 2013b. Comparing Effects of insecticides on two green lacewings species, Chrysoperla johnsoni and Chrysoperla carnea (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae). Journal of Economic Entomology. 106: 1126-1133.
Amarasekare, K. G. and P. W. Shearer. 2013a. Laboratory bioassays to estimate the lethal and sublethal effects of various insecticides and fungicides on Deraeocoris brevis (Hemiptera: Miridae). Journal of Economic Entomology. 106: 776-785.
Amarasekare, K. G., C. M. Mannion and N. D. Epsky. 2012. Developmental time, longevity and lifetime fertility of three introduced parasitoids of the mealybug Paracoccus marginatus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae). Environmental Entomology 41: 1184-1189.
Amarasekare, K. G. and Mannion C. M. 2011. Life history of a new-to-science exotic soft scale insect Phalacrococcus howertoni (Hemiptera: Coccidae) found in Florida. Florida Entomologist. 94(3): 588-593.
Amarasekare, K. G., C. M. Mannion, and N. D. Epsky. 2010. Host instar susceptibility and selection and interspecific competition of three introduced parasitoids of the mealybug Paracoccus marginatus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae). Environmental Entomology. 39(5): 1506-1512.
Amarasekare, K. G., C. M. Mannion and N. D. Epsky. 2009. Efficiency and establishment of the three introduced parasitoids of the mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae). Biological Control. 51, 91-95.
Amarasekare, K. G., J.C. Chong, N. D. Epsky, and C. M. Mannion. 2008b. Effect of temperature on the life history of the mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) Journal of Economic Entomology. 101(6):1798-1804.
Amarasekare, K. G., C. M. Mannion, L. S. Osborne and N. D. Epsky. 2008a. Life history of Paracoccus marginatus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) on four host plant species under laboratory conditions. Environmental Entomology. 37(3): 630-635.
Amarasekare, K. G. and J. V. Edelson. 2004. Effect of temperature on efficacy of insecticides to differential grasshopper (Orthoptera: Acrididae). Journal of Economic Entomology. 97(5): 1595-1602.

Grants:
Amarasekare, K.G. (PI/PD): "Improving sustainable pest management practices to control cucumber beetles in cucurbits". Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA)-Specialty Crop Block Grant (SCBG). ($44,992). 2022-2024.
Amarasekare, K.G. (PI/PD), A.R. Khanal (CoPI), and A. Clardy (CoPI). Building capacity in Extension, outreach and technical assistance to promote integrated pest management (IPM) of arthropods in Tennessee. USDA NIFA Capacity Building Grant (CBG). ($249,980). 2019 -2022.
Shearer, P.W., K. G. Amarasekare. Conservation biological control of pear psylla in Pacific Northwest pears. Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission. ($71,571). 2014
Shearer, P.W., K. G. Amarasekare, V.P. Jones, S.A. Steffan. Improving biological control of insect pests of cherry. Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission. ($79,485). 2013

Graduate and Undergraduate Teaching
Graduate: AGSC 5900/AGSC 7900 Applied Entomology (fall semester in every other odd year)
Undergraduate: AGSC 4900 Entomology (fall semester in every other even year)

Extension Activities
In-service training for Extension agents
TSU New Farmer Academy training
Tennessee Naturalist Program training
County-based Extension outreach training
K-12 students lab visits and Entomology training
TSU Small Farm Expo Entomology presentation and training
TSU field research visits for stakeholders
Entomology fact sheets
Entomology Extension curricula

Honors and Awards:
Member-at-large, Entomological Society of America-Southeastern Branch (ESA-SEB) 2022-2025
Past President, Tennessee Entomological Society 2021-2022
President, Tennessee Entomological Society 2020-2021
Board of Directors, Tennessee Entomological Society 2020-2022
Outstanding Young Researcher Award, College of Agriculture, Tennessee State
University, 2019
Entomological Society of America - Student and Young Professional Participation Award 2009-2011
L. Russell Norton Memorial Fellowship–Miami-Dade County Agri-Council, Inc. 2007
Entomological Society of America - Student and Young Professional Participation Award 2007
Gamma Sigma Delta National College Honor Scholarship Society 2007
Alpha Zeta National College Honor Scholarship Society 2004
Phi Kappa Phi National College Honor Scholarship Society 2002
William H. Krome Memorial Fellowship–Miami-Dade County Agri-Council, Inc. 2004

Professional Affiliations:
Entomological Society of America
International Organization for Biological Control (IOBC) – NRS Pacific Branch
Entomological Society of America Southeastern Branch
Florida Entomological Society
Tennessee Entomological Society
Tennessee Academy of Science

Professional Experience:
Graduate faculty Tennessee State University
Volunteer instructor for the Tennessee Naturalist Program
Graduate student mentoring for MS thesis research

Education:
Ph.D. (Entomology) University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
M.S. (Entomology) Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
B.S. (Honors) (Agriculture) University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

Full resume of Dr. Amarasekare here.

Date joined staff: November 2015