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Dr. Pratap Devkota
Assistant Professor
Weed Science
The weed science research (60%) and extension (40%) program at WFREC, UF/IFAS focuses on developing integrated weed management programs and extending these knowledges to agricultural clientele in Florida. The program emphasizes in addressing current and emerging weed management issues for field (cotton, peanut, corn, soybean, wheat), forage, and emerging crops (e.g., specialty and bioenergy). The overall goal of this program is to develop and extend knowledge on economically feasible and environmentally sound weed management strategies for sustainable row crop production in Florida.
Programs
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Research
My research program focuses on several weed science research topics which are pertinent to the production agriculture. The research emphasis is on managing herbicide resistant weeds; evaluating performance and optimizing various weed control methods; identifying novel and improved weed management strategies; and incorporating them for developing integrated weed management programs. I am also interested in understanding ecology, biology, and morphology of difficult to control/invasive weed species; and utilizing this information for developing robust weed control programs. The other research area is evaluating herbicide performance and interaction with other agrochemicals, use of adjuvants/surfactants, and optimizing herbicide spray solution. My research also focuses on incorporating cultural and mechanical techniques which are critical components for weed management program. Last but not least, economics and environmental aspects play vital role for successful adoption of the weed control strategies; therefore, I am interested in studying economic feasibility and environmental sustainability of the weed management programs.
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Extension
The overall goal for extension program is to promote the adoption of safe, sustainable, and cost-effective weed management programs for sustainable row crop production systems in Florida. My extension program helps to bridge the agricultural clientele with the current developments in weed management knowledge and practices. Extension program focuses on delivering research findings to the end users (county extension agents, growers, applicators, industry partners, and government & non-government organizations). The information is disseminated using various activities which include face-to-face meeting, weed science trainings, clientele meetings, online newsletter/blogs, and social media sites. The findings from research program are shared through the extension publications (UF/IFAS EDIS system), extension field days, workshops/conferences.
Contact
Jay Admin Rm. 9
UF/IFAS West Florida Research and Education Center
4253 Experiment Rd., Hwy. 182
Jay, FL 32565
850-983-7102
pdevkota@ufl.edu