A leading expert on the insect pests which damage fruit and other horticultural crops, Professor Jerry Cross, will be giving an Inaugural Professorial Lecture at the University of Greenwich at Medway on Thursday, February 11.

The free public lecture, ”To Spray, or not to Spray: That is the Question. Horticultural Entomology in the 21st Century”, will be held in the Pilkington Lecture Theatre at 6pm.

Professor Cross uses his detailed understanding of both insects and plants to lead scientists in the development of new environmentally sustainable pest management programmes for UK fruit crops. The programmes are designed to reduce the use of pesticides and eliminate pesticide residues from harvested fruit.

Professor Cross works with the Chemical Ecology Group at the Natural Resources Institute, at the University of Greenwich at Medway, identifying sex pheromones from fruit pests and using these to control and monitor the pests that threaten fruit crops.

He also specialises in optimising orchard spraying programmes taking into account the life cycles of the pests being tackled, the structure of individual orchards and the distribution of spray deposits.

In addition, Professor Cross heads the Entomology and Plant Pathology Science Team at East Malling Research, which has recently launched a major project to improve disease and pest management in UK cherry orchards.

To register for a place at Professor Cross’ Inaugural Professorial Lecture, contact Heather McAvoy-Marshall tel: 01634 883911 email: h.m.mcavoy-marshall@gre.ac.uk.

For further information about the University of Greenwich, call 0800 005 006 or visit www.greenwich.ac.uk.