Prof. Dr. Sándor Keszthelyi - MATE Research
Overview
Prof. Dr. Sándor Keszthelyi is a plant protection engineer and entomologist at the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Institute of Agronomy Department of Agronomy in Kaposvár Campus. He is the head of the Division of Agronomy at Kaposvár Campus and vice chair of the Hungarian Plant Protection Engineer and Plant Protection Specialist Chamber in Somogy county.
His research focuses on plant protection and entomological research. His expertise lies in the practice of plant protection activities in arable land.
Prof. Sándor Keszthelyi's work contributes to solving the problem of reliable identification of major arthropod pests and realizing economic and sustainable protection possibilities against them.
His theoretical work examines how to map the new invasive pest in Europe and recognize the arrangement of determinative arthropod pests in
regenerative soil tillage. His empirical work has assessed these theories in settings ranging from mapping the potential pest range and their adaptive biological characteristics to triggered damage values and evaluating applicable and effective protection possibilities against their contexts.
Across his research, he has used practical identification gear and laboratory equipment. He applied a non-invasive approach (CT, MR, biophoton emission) to answer their plant protection and physiological hypothesis.
Prof. Dr. Sándor Keszthelyi pioneered the development of biological characteristics of main arthropod pests in arable plants. Prof. Dr Sándor Keszthelyi designed and executed colour polymorphism of cotton bollworms and different ecotypes of European corn borer. and so on.
His findings are instrumental in developing the practical applications of some insecticidal agents. He made significant contributions to learning about the effectiveness of absorbable insecticides and plant stress processes
He authored and co-authored entomological and plant physiological research articles in high-impact scientific journals.
Prof. Sándor Keszthelyi has collaborated with Plant Protection research groups in Sapientia University (Romania), Researcher Staff of Center for Excellence in Quarantine and Invasive Species (CEQUIS), Estacion Experimental Agricola, San Juan, (Puerto Rico) as well as Department of Agrometeorology, Plant Irrigation and Horticulture, Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, Bydgoszcz, (Poland) across Europe/worldwide, and she/he has successfully applied for excellence scholarship application and excellent researcher of MTA VEAB research grants nationally and internationally. He won the prestigious grant and was awarded the “Gusztáv Szelényi” and “Géza Balázs” received commemorative medals from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences as well as a “certificate of recognition from the minister” and a “gold ring for an excellent plant doctor” from the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture.
He is an Associate Editor of the North-Western Journal of Zoology (Q3), Frontiers in Physiology (Q1) and Agrofórum magazine a former topic Editor of the Plants MDPI (Q1).
Research keywords:
Publications
Keszthelyi, S., Nowinszky, L., Puskás, J. (2013): The growing abundance of Helicoverpa armigera in Hungary and its areal shift estimation. CENTRAL EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGY, 8 (8): 756-764. doi: 10.2478/s11535-013-0195-0
Keszthelyi, S., Binder, A., Csóka, Á., Pónya, Zs., Donkó, T. (2021): Computer tomography‐assisted visualization of the movement triggered by frost in Ostrinia nubilalis overwintering in maize stalks. PHYSIOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY,46 (2): 138-144. https://doi.org/10.1111/phen.12353
Lukács, H., Jócsák, I., Somfalvi-Tóth, K., Keszthelyi S. (2022): Physiological responses manifested by some conventional stress parameters and biophoton emission in winter wheat as a consequence of cereal leaf beetle infestation. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE, 13: 839855. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.839855
Keszthelyi S., Kazinczi G., Somfalvi-Tóth K. (2022): Geographical dispersion of ragweed leaf beetle (Ophraella communa) based on climatic and biological characters in the Palearctic habitats. AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST ENTOMOLOGY, 25(2): 165-185. https://doi.org/10.1111/afe.12541
Keszthelyi, S., Orsi-Gibicsár Sz., Pál-Fám, F., Somfalvi-Tóth, K., Balog, A. (2024): Colour polymorphism of cotton bollworm larvae as a function of the type of host plant providing its development. FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION, 12:1376435. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2024.1376435
Projects
Research on the ecology and damage of arthropod pests of arable crops, in particular maize
This research concerns species from the extensive pest community of arable crops. In particular, the corn earworm (Ostrinia nubilalis), the American corn borer (Diabrotica v. virgiferfa), the cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera), the corn earworm (Tanymecus dilaticollis), the barley beetle (Oulema melanopus), etc. and physiological traits caused by these insects on their food plants.
Non-destructive imaging studies of hidden lifestyle pests
Imaging outputs (CT, MR, bio-photon emission detection, IR, etc.) of plant conservation entomology can cover different areas of interest, providing both insect and plant life history specialities. The studies, which are considered to be novel, have provided several new scientific findings on the developmental and damage consequences of a wide variety of stem and leaf-feeding species
Research into alternative control solutions for crop pests
Thus, attention has shifted towards experimental assessment of the applicability of crop protection techniques based on atmospheric modification (heating, cooling, vacuum packaging, etc.), various electromagnetic irradiation (IR, UV, microwave, etc.), mineral materials (silica, sand, kaolin, ash, etc.), entomopathogenic (insect pathogenic) fungi and plant essential oils. Attention has shifted towards experimental assessment of the applicability of various electromagnetic irradiation, minerals, entomopathogenic (insect pathogenic) fungi and plant essential oils in crop protection based on modification of the atmospheric environment.
