Dr. Justin McMechan

About

Dr. Justin McMechan is an Assistant Professor of Entomology with a combination Extension and Research appointment. He received both his Doctor of Plant Health (DPH) degree and his doctorate in Entomology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2016.  He works mostly at Entomology Hall on UNL's East Campus in Lincoln and at the Eastern Nebraska Research & Extension Center (ENREC) near Mead.

Education

• B.S. in Agronomy, University of Minnesota, Crookston, 2009
• M.S. in Entomology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2012
• D.P.H. Doctor of Plant Health, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2016
• Ph.D. in Entomology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2016

Professional Responsibilities and Activities

• - Development and implementation of an applied research program focused on integrated crop protection and cropping systems
  - Establish transdisciplinary collaborations including effective integration with extension issue teams and research groups

Publications

Publications:

• McMechan, A. J. 2021. Evaluation of at-plant soil treatment thimet against soybean gall midge, 2020. Arthropod Management Tests. Accepted.
• McMechan, A. J., E. Hodgson, A. J. Varenhorst, T. Hunt, R. Wright, and B. Potter. 2021. First report of a new species, Resseliella maxima (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), causing injury to soybean in the United States. Journal of Integrated Pest Management. 12(1): 8, 1-4.
• Carmona G., L. M. Delserone, J.N. Duarte Campos, T. Ferriera de Almeida, D. Ozorio, J. Betancurth Cardona, R. Wright, and A.J. McMechan. 2021. Does cover crop management impact arthropods in the subsequent corn and soybean crops in the USA? A systematic review. Annals of the Entomological Society of America. doi:10.1093/aesa/saaa049
• Hunt, E., H. Birge, C. Laingen, M. Licht, W. Baule, A. J. McMechan, and T. Connor. 2020. A perspective on changes across the U.S. Corn Belt. Environmental Research Letters. ERL-108408-R1.
• Scierresi, C., C. Proctor, E. Haramoto, L. Lindsey, G. Carmona, R. Elmore, S. Everhart, W. Looker, M. Marroquin-Guzman, A. J. McMechan, J. Wehrbein, R. Werle, and M. Salmeron. 2020. Evaluating short-season soybean management adaptations for cover crop rotations with a crop simulation model. Field Crops Research 249: 107734.
• Carmona G., J. Rees, R. Seymour, R. Wright, and A. J. McMechan. 2019. Wheat Stem Maggot (Diptera: Chloropidae): An emerging pest of cover crop to corn transition systems. Plant Health Progress. 20: 147-154.
• Gagne, R., J.  Yukawa, A. Elsayed, and A. J. McMechan. 2019. A new pest species of Resseliella (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) on soybean (Fabaceae) in North America with a description of the genus. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 121(2):168-177.
• Tatineni, S., A. J. McMechan, and G. Hein. 2018. Wheat streak mosaic virus coat protein is a determinant for vector transmission by the wheat curl mite. Virology 514: 42-49.
• Wosula, E., A. J. McMechan, E. Knoell, T. Satyanarayana, S. Wegulo, and G. Hein. 2018. Impact of timing and method of virus inoculation on the severity of wheat streak mosaic disease. Plant Disease. 102(3): 645-650.
• McMechan, A. J. and G. L. Hein. 2017. Population dynamics of the wheat curl mite (Acari: Eriophyidae) during the heading stages of wheat. Journal of Econ. Ent. Accepted.
• Nguy-Robertson T., A. Zygielbaum, A. J. McMechan, G. Hein, S. Wegulo, A. Stilwell, and T. Smith. 2016. Developing a framework for a risk map for mite vectored viruses in wheat resulting from pre-harvest hail damage in western Nebraska, U.S.A. Crop Protection. 89: 21-31.
• Wosula, E., A. J. McMechan, C. Oliveira-Hofman, S. N. Wegulo, and G. L. Hein. 2016. Differential transmission of two isolates of Wheat streak mosaic virus by five wheat curl mite populations. Plant Dis. 100(1): 154-158.
• McMechan, A. J. and G. L. Hein. 2015. Planting date and variety selection for management of viruses transmitted by the wheat curl mite (Aceria tosichella Keifer). Journal of Economic Entomology. 109(1): 70-77.
• Byamukama E., S. Tatineni, G. Hein, A. J. McMechan, and S. N. Wegulo. 2015. Incidence of Wheat streak mosaic virus, Triticum mosaic virus, and Wheat mosaic virus in wheat curl mites recovered from maturing winter wheat spikes. Plant Dis. 100(2): 318-323.
• Tatineni, S., A. J. McMechan, M. Bartels, G. L. Hein and R. A. Graybosch. 2015. In vitro transcripts of wild-type and fluorescent protein-tagged Triticum mosaic virus (Family Potyviridae) are biologically active in wheat. Phytopathology. 105(11): 1496-1505.
• Wosula, E., A. J. McMechan, G. L. Hein. 2015. The effects of temperature, humidity, virus infection status on off host survival of Aceria tosichella (Trombidiformes: Eriophyidae). J. Econ. Ent. 108(4): 1545-1552.
• Tatineni S., A. J. McMechan, E. Wosula, S. Wegulo, R. Graybosh, R. French, and G. Hein. 2014. An eriophyoid mite-transmitted plant virus contains eight genomic RNA segments with unusual heterogeneity in nucleocapsid protein. Journal of Virology. 88(20): 11834-11845.
• McMechan A. J., S. Tatineni, R. French and G. Hein. 2014. Differential transmission of Triticum mosaic virus by wheat curl mite populations collected in the Great Plains. Plant Disease. Plant Disease. 98(6): 806-810.
• Tatineni S., A. J. McMechan, G. Hein and R. French. 2011. Efficient and stable expression of GFP through Wheat streak mosaic virus-based vectors in cereal hosts using a range of cleavage sites: Formation of dense fluorescent aggregates for sensitive virus tracking. Virology 410: 268-281.

Awards and Honors

Recognition/Awards:

• 2020 – Outstanding Extension Leadership Early Career Award from Epsilon Sigma Phi, Alpha Upsilon Chapter of UNL
• 2020 – UNL Excellence in Extension Individual Award: Research and Discovery
• 2020 – FMC New Investigator Award ($50,000 contribution to research program)
• 2019 – UNL Excellence in Extension Team Award: Soybean Management Field Days
• 2019 – University of Minnesota Abbey Alumni Award
• 2018 – UNL Excellence in Extension Team Award: Hail Know
• 2017 – UNL Excellence in Extension: Innovative New Employee
• John Henry Comstock Award, Entomology Society of America, North Central Branch, 2016
• President’s Prize Student Competition at Annual Meeting of Entomological Society of America
  • Oral 10-minute paper, Portland, OR, 2014
  • Oral 10-minute paper, Austin, TX, 2013
  • Oral 10-minute paper, Portland, Knoxville, TN, 2012
  • Oral 10-minute paper, Reno, NV, 2011
• North Central Branch Entomological Society Student Competition
  • Oral Presentation (2nd Place), Manhattan, KS, 2015
  • Oral Presentation (1st Place), Des Moines, IO, 2014
  • Oral Presentation (2nd Place), Minneapolis, MN, 2011
  • Poster Presentation (1st Place), Louisville, KY, 2010
• Agronomy Society of America
  • Outstanding Poster Award in Educational Materials, 2015
• American Phytopathological Society
  • Poster Presentation (1st Place), Omaha, NE, 2011
• Milton E. Mohr Teaching Fellowship, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, 2011
• Larrick-Whitmore Scholarship, Lincoln, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, 2011
• All American Award – Seed Analysis and Plant Identification, Chicago, IL, 2009
• John Polley Soil and Water Conservation Award, Crookston, MN, 2009
• Business Planning Award with Farm Credit Canada, Brandon, MB, Canada, 2006
• Simplot Academic Excellence Award, Brandon, MB, Canada, 2006
• Cargill Academic Excellence Award, Brandon, MB, Canada, 2006
• Keith Gillman Foundation, Academic Excellence, Brandon, MB, Canada, 2006
• Percy Lanham Foundation, Agriculture Academic Based Award, Brandon, MB, Canada, 2006