Maira Rodrigues Duffeck

Maira Rodrigues Duffeck is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology at Oklahoma State University. Her work focuses on plant disease management, entomology, and agricultural pest management with a particular emphasis on crop pathogens and invasive species. She leads funded research projects addressing challenges in peanut, corn, soybean, and cotton production systems.

Her research interests include understanding disease resistance mechanisms in crops, optimizing fungicide applications, and monitoring invasive pest species like the corn leafhopper. She collaborates on multi-state initiatives to combat emerging diseases such as Sclerotinia blight and corn stunt caused by Spiroplasma kunkelii. Dr. Duffeck also investigates the distribution and management of soilborne pathogens like reniform nematodes and Fusarium species.

Recent studies highlight her work on yield loss estimation for diseases like Early Leaf Spot in peanuts and evaluating fungicide efficacy against Cercospora leaf blight in soybeans. She has published extensively on mycotoxin contamination in grains and develops predictive models for diseases like tar spot in maize.

Dr. Duffeck teaches courses in diagnostic plant pathology and supervises master's thesis research. She has secured over 20 grants totaling millions in funding, supporting initiatives from sorghum yield optimization to integrated pest management programs. Her work bridges field research with practical agricultural solutions.

Notable projects include establishing monitoring networks for corn leafhoppers across the U.S. corn belt and developing resistance breeding programs for peanut diseases. She actively collaborates with extension services to implement integrated management strategies for Oklahoma producers.