CV page
Charles Kwadha
I am a Ph.D. student at the Chemical Ecology Unit at SLU, Alnarp. I joined the group in August 2018. I am currently working on the sexual communication of flies with a special focus on Drosophila suzukii. Specifically, my project involves :
1. Understanding the interaction of D. melanogaster and D. suzukii
2. Establishing if D.suzukii headspace has behaviourally active components relevant for sexual communication
3. Elucidating pheromone difference between a Cosmopolitan and an African strain of D. melanogaster.
Presentation
With the growing need for sustainable agricultural practices, sustainable management of insect pests has become a priority area of interest to me. My focus is to understand cue-mediated interactions between the insect pests’ communities and their environments and to transfer the skills in creating environmentally sound management approaches.
At the moment, I focus on comprehending how chemical signatures shape the interaction within D. suzukii population, and between the species and other drosophilids
Teaching
Pedagogic assignment (4.1.8)
Horticultural Systems and Future Challenges (BI1309)
Background
I obtained my BSc. in Biology and MSc. in Agricultural Entomology at the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Nairobi in 2014 and 2017 respectively. My MSc. project, "Determination of semiochemical attractants of the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella, in honeybee colonies," was carried out in collaboration with International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe).
Supervision
Supervision
1. Master students. Course- Chemical Ecology for Sustainable Insect Pest Control(BI1346)
2. Bachelor student. Course- Independent Bachelor Project
Selected publications
1. Kwadha CA, Okwaro LA, Kleman I, Rehermann G, Revadi S, Ndlela S, Khamis FM, Nderitu PW, Kasina M, George MK, Kithusi GG, Mohamed SA, Lattorff HMG, Becher PG (2021). Detection of the spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, in continental sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Pest Science; 94, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-021-01330-1
2. Kwadha CA, Mutunga JM, Irungun J, Ongamo GO, Ndegwa P, Raina S, Fombong AT (2019). Decanal as a major component of larval aggregation pheromone of the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella. Journal of Applied Entomology; https://doi.org/10.1111/jen.12617
3. Kwadha CA, Ongamo GO, Ndegwa P, Raina S, Fombong AT (2017) The biology and control of the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella. Insects 8(2), 61; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects8020061
Links
http://drosophila-suzukii.se/su/teams/charles-kwadha/