William J. Moar

Associate Professor

301 Funchess Hall

Auburn

Phone 334-844-2560

Email: moarwil@auburn.edu

Areas of Interest:
My research team studies Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) strains, proteins, Bt transgenic plants, and insect responses to these compounds. Current work focuses on 1) Development and characterization of Bt resistance in beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua and cotton bolworm, helicoverpa zea 2) Monitoring for field resistance in Bt cotton, 3) Development of Bt Resistance Standardization Protocols for heliothis virescens and Helicoverpa zea, 4) Toxicity and characterization of coleopteran-active Bt isolates and proteins against tropical pests including sweet potato weevils, gainst tropical pests including sweet potato weevils, Cylas spp.

Education:
1990 Ph.D. Entomology, University of California, Riverside
 

1986 M.S. Entomology, University of California, Riverside

1983 B.S./B.A. Botany/Entomology, Oregon State University

Work History:

  • Professor: 2004-Present
  • Associate Profesor:1996-2004
  • Assistant Professor: 1990-1996

Teaching:

Economic Entomology: ENTM 4020

Insecticides in the Environment: ENTM 5030/6030

Honors and Awards:

Auburn Alumni Association. Alumni Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award. 2005

Auburn University, College of Agriculture. Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence. 2003

Graduate Students:

Konasale J. Anikumar Ph.D., Dissertation Title: "Production and chracterization of Cry1Ac resistance in cotton bollworm helicoverpa zea (Boddie)"

Patents and Inventions:

H. Daniell and W. Moar. Genetic engineering of insect resistance in plants.  Submitted March 2000

W.J. Moar. Anti-fungal Bacillus thuringiensisstrains. Reg. No. 32,943. Issued 2001.

Pertinent Funding:

Moar, W. Production and Characterization of Bt resistance in Cotton Bollworm, Helicoverpa zea. Cotton Incorporated. $43,000. 2000-2005

M. Ghislain, W. Moar, R. Mwanga, and B. Odongo Development of "Bacillus thuringiensis'- Bt sweetpotato resistant to Cylasspp. in African subsistence agriculture. Rockefeller Foundation. $340,630. 2004-2006

Moar, W. Development of 'Bacillus thuringiensis'- Bt sweetpotato resistant to Cylas spp. in African subsistence agriculture CIP (International Center for Potato Research). $70,000. 2004-2006.

Moar, W. USDA. Monitoring for Bt resistance in Cotton Bollworm and Tobacco Budworm. $40,000. 2003

McCarthy, W. & W. Moar. USDA NRICGP "Use of midgut epithelial cells to elucidate Bacillus thuringiensis resistance mechanisms in Spodoptera exigua." 1996-1998. $110,000.

Mack, T.P., W.J. Moar, O. Chambliss, & N.K. Singh. US-AID, Bean/Cowpea Collaborative Research Support Program: "Postharvest preservation of cowpeas by subsistence farmers in Cameroon." $180,446. 1992-1997

International Program Activities:

Cowpea:

Cameroon:

Post-harvest preservation of cowpeas by subsistence farmers in Cameroon. US-AID, Bean/Cowpea Collaborative Research Support Program: 1992-1997

Niger:

Bio-safety/Biodiversity/IRM Workshop for Bt transgenic Cowpea. 9-11-04 to 9-13-04

Sweet Potato:

Uganda:

Development of 'Bacillus thuringiensis' - Bt sweetpotato resistant to Cylas spp. in African subsistence agriculture. 2004-present

Bt Resistance:

Netherlands:

In collaboration with ruud DeMaagd, Plant Research International, Wageningen. Cloning and characterization of genes involved with Bt-resistance mechanism(s) in S. exigua. 2000-2005

Spain:

In collaboration with Professor Juan Ferre from University of Valencia: Bt resistant mechamisms of helicoverpa zea. 2005-present

Bt Bioassays:

Thailand:

In collaboration with Professor Watanalai Panbangred, Mahidol University, Bangkok, a Bacillus chitinase was evaluated for toxicity against susceptible and Bt-resistant S. exigua. 1997-2001.

Non-target effects:

Switzerland:

Collaborative research with the Swiss Federal Research Station for Agroecology and Agriculture (Dr. Angelika Hilbeck, collaborator) regardiing the non-target effects of Bt protoxins and toxins against green lacewing, Chrysoperla carnea larvae and other beneficial insects. 1996-1999

Professional Societies:

Entomological Society of America

Society for Invertebrate Pathology

 

Editorial Boards:

Journal of Economic Entomology (Associate Editor, Insecticide resistance and resistance management)

 

Recent Publications:

  • Garhan, L., Y.-T. Ma, M.L. MacGregor Coble, F. Gould, W. Moar and D.G. Heckel. 2005. Genetic basis of resistance to Cry1Ac and Cry2A in Heliothis virescens. J. Econ. Entomol. 98:1357-1368.
  • Herrero, S., T. Gechev, P.L. Bakker, W. Moar, and R.A. deMaagd. 2005. Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ca-resistant Spodoptera exigua lacks expression of one of four Aminopeptidase N's. BMC Genomics 6:96.
  • Head, G., W. Moar, M. Eubanks, B. Freeman, J. Ruberson, A. Hagerty, & S. Turnipseed. 2005. A Multi-year, Large-Scale Comparisons of Arthropod Populations on Commercially Managed Bt and Non-Bt Cotton Fields. Environ. Entomol. 34(5):1257-1266 .
  • Thamthiankul, S., Moar, W.J., Miller, M.E., & Panbangred, W. 2004. Improving the insecticidal activity of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. aizawai against Spodoptera exigua by chromosomal expression of chitinase gene. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 65:183-192.
  • Fitt, G.P., D.A. Andow, Y. Carriere, W. J. Moar, T.H. Schuler, C. Omoto, J. Kanya, M.A. Okech, P. Arama, and N.K. Maniania. Resistance risks and management associated with Bt Maize in Kenya. 2004. In A. Hilbeck and D.A. Andow (eds.). Environmental Risk Assessment of Genetically Modified Organisms: A Case Study of Bt Maize in Kenya. CABI Publishers.
  • Moar, W.J. 2003. Breathing new life into insect-resistance plants. Nature Biotechnology. 21:1152-1154.
  • Moar, W.J., and J.-L. Schwartz. 2003. Workshop on the ethics, legal, and regulatory concerns of transgenic plants. J. Invertebr. Pathol. 83:91-92.
  • Burd, A.D., F. Gould, J.R. Bradley, J.W. Van Duyn, & W.J. Moar. 2003. Estimated frequency of nonrecessive Bt resistance genes in Bollworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Eastern North Carolina. J. Econ. Entomol. 96:137-142.
  • Tabashnik, B.T., T.J. Dennehy, M.A. Sims, K. Larkin, G.P. Head, W.J. Moar, & Y. Carriere. 2002. Control of Resistant Pink Bollworm by Transgenic Cotton with Bacillus thuringiensis Toxin Cry2A. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68:3790-3794.
  • DeCosa, B., W. Moar, S.B. Lee, M. Miller, & H. Daniell. 2001. Hyper-expression of the Bt Cry2Aa2 operon in chloroplasts leads to formation in insecticidal crystals. Nature Biotech. 19:71-74
  • Kota, M., H. Daniell, S. Varma, S. Garczynski, F. Gould & W.J. Moar. 1999. Over expression of the Bacillus thuringiensisCry2A protein in chloroplasts confers resistance to plants against susceptible and Bt-resistant insects. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 96:1840-1845.
  • Hilbeck, A., W.J. Moar, M. Pusztai-Carey, A Filippini, & F. Bigler. 1999. Prey-mediated effects of Cry1Ab toxin and protoxin and Cry2A protoxin of the predator Chrysoperla carnea (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae). Entomol. Exp. Et Appl. 91:305-316.
  • Hilbeck, A., W.J. Moar, M. Pusztai-Carey, A Filippini, & F. Bigler. 1998. Toxicity of the Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ab toxin on the predator Chrysoperla carnea(Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) using diet incorporated bioassays. Environ. Entomol. 27:1255-1263.
  • Berdegue, M., J.T. Trumble, & W.J. Moar. 1996. Effect of CryIC toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis on larval feeding behavior of Spodoptera exigua. Entomol. Exp. Et Appl. 80:389-401.
  • Gould, F., A. Anderson, A. Reynolds, L. Bumgarner, & W. Moar. 1995. Selection and Genetic analysis of a Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) strain with high levels of resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis toxins. J. Econ. Entomol. 88:1545-1559.
  • Moar, W.J., J. Pusztai-Carey, H. van Faasen, R. Frutos, C. Rang, K. Luo, & M.J. Adang. 1995. Development of Bacilluls thuringiensis CryIC resistance by Spodoptera exigua(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 61:2086-2092.
  • Moar, W.J., J.T. Trumble, R.H. Hice & P.A. Backman. 1994. Insecticidal activity of the CryIIA protein from the NRD-12 isolate of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki expressed in E. coli, B. thuringiensis and in a leaf colonizing strain of Bacillus cereus. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 60:896-902.
  • Tabashnik, B.E., N. Finson, M.W. Johnson & W.J. Moar. 1993. Resistance to toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstakicauses minimal cross-resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. aizawaiin diamondback moth (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae). Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 59:1332-1335.
  • Gould, F., A. Martinier, A. Anderson, J. Ferre, F.J. Silva, & W.J. Moar. 1992. Broad Spectrum Resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis toxins in Heliothis virescens. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 89:7986-7990.
  • Moar, W.J., L. Masson, J.T. Trumble, & R. Brousseau. 1990. Toxicity to Spodoptera exiguaand Trichoplusia ni of individual P1 Protoxins and sporulated cultures of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD-2 and NRD-12. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 56:2480-2483.
  • Moar, W.J., J.T. Trumble, & B.A. Federici. 1989. Comparative toxicity of spores and crystals from the NRD-12 and HD-1 strains of Bacillus thuringiensissubsp. kurstakito neonate Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). J. Econ. Entomol. 82:1593-1603.

    The Leaf  bioassay of control and Cry2Aa2
    chloroplast transgenic tobacco leaves
    Picture (left), courtesy of Dr. William J. Moar.

    For additional information wmoar@acesag.auburn.edu


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