ENTOMOLOGY SECTION
Phone: +61 9 368 3249
Email: fberlandier@agric.wa.gov.au
Berlandier, F. (B. App. Sci., Grad. Dip. Nat. Res, MSc
(Zool.)) - Françoise has worked at Agriculture Western Australia since 1988. She has been
responsible for several projects on aphid management in broadacre and horticultural crops.
This has included monitoring aphid numbers and species occurring in potato growing areas,
and investigating integrated ways of managing aphids and the viruses they spread through
cultural techniques including aphid landing behaviour and the effect of ground-dwelling
predators on aphid numbers. She has also headed a team that produced posters which
described the pests and diseases of tomatoes and cucurbits for grower use. Currently she
is part of a national project aimed at helping the horticultural industry to manage
insecticide resistance in diamondback moth, a project to determine spray thresholds and
aphid feeding damage in lupin and canola crops, and has recently commenced a joint project
with CSIRO to investigate mechanisms of lupin resistance to aphids and provide aphid
screening support to the National lupin breeding project.
Françoise has studied aphid resistance and was involved in developing a field test kit
to determine resistance levels of individual aphids. She also has an interest in the role
of secondary plant compounds (alkaloids) in plant resistance to aphids. Her experimental
work includes aphid feeding bioassays using artificial diets and aphid development and
reproductive performance on various lupin cultivars with different alkaloids levels.
Françoise has over seven years experience with aphid taxonomy gained from using a range
of keys to identify trap and quarantine samples. During this time she has created a
reference collection of over 450 specimens consisting of approximately 50 species. She
also has sound knowledge of chemicals used for insect control, and the basic pests of
broadacre agriculture and a former regional councillor of the Australian Entomological
Society.