Dr.Muniappan

Dr. Rangaswamy (Muni) Muniappan
Program Director, IPM CRSP

Ph: (540) 231-3516
Email: rmuni@vt.edu

Expertise: Biological control of tropical weeds and insect pests, tropical economic entomology.

Education: Ph.D., Entomology, Oklahoma State University, 1969. Emphasis: host plant resistance, biological control and tritrophic level interactions.  M.S., Agricultural Entomology, University of Madras, 1965. B.S., Agriculture, University of Madras, 1963.

Languages: English, Tamil.

Countries of work experience: Guam, Rota, Tinian, Saipan, Yap, Palau, Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, Marshalls, Vanuatu, American Samoa, Philippines, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Maldives, India and Guyana.

Experience Summary:
Dr. Muniappan is an entomologist specializing in biological control and integrated pest management research in the tropics for over 35 years. His primary work experience has been on biological control of invasive weeds, such as Chromolaena odorata, Lantana camara, Coccinia grandis, and Mimosa diplotricha. He also specializes in the insect pests of tropical fruit and vegetable crops, such as mealybugs, scale insects, whiteflies, caterpillars and weevils. He worked as Associate Director of the Guam Agricultural Experiment Station for 20 years and also served as a consultant for the Food and Agricultural Organization, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, GTZ, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research and other international organizations. He has been serving as the Chairman of the Global Working Group on Chromolaena of the International Organization for Biological Control since 1992. He has published over 200 research and extension articles. He is now responsible for management of the IPM CRSP and coordinating with USAID and project partner institutions in the United States and developing countries in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America.