Gilreath fills AgriLife Extension entomology role in Amarillo
Research and outreach to farmers will focus on pest management for key row crops
Tyler Gilreath, Ph.D., has been hired by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service as an entomology specialist based at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Amarillo.
Gilreath will serve the Texas High Plains region. He will lead research and outreach programs focused on integrated pest management in key row crops like corn, cotton and wheat as an AgriLife Extension entomologist and assistant professor in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Entomology.
Gilreath said that 75% of his work will be extension-related and 25% will focus on research.
Becoming an entomologist
Originally from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Gilreath has a background in construction but pivoted into agriculture during his college years. His path to Texas A&M AgriLife was shaped by hands-on fieldwork and a passion for applied agricultural science.
As a graduate student, he worked on field and laboratory research while completing his master’s project on Bt corn and cotton using a Vip3A resistant strain of fall armyworms. During his doctorate, he worked as an AgriLife Extension program manager in the integrated pest management lab of David Kerns, Ph.D., professor, AgriLife Extension entomologist, associate entomology department head and the statewide integrated pest management coordinator.
He recently earned his doctorate from the Department of Entomology and has already established himself with work targeting insect pests such as the corn leaf hopper and corn earworm.
Gilreath said he wants to collaborate with producers, whom he views as partners, valuable resources and key voices to help him identify challenges and find solutions.
“This is my first big role out of school, and I’m excited to hit the ground running,” he said. “My goal is to build a strong AgriLife Extension program centered on unbiased, practical research that directly answers growers’ questions.”
Helping producers with scientific trials, data
Gilreath’s research agenda will include efficacy trials for insecticides, identifying effective strategies for hybrid plant selection and helping farmers manage the region’s most pressing pest challenges. He is committed to providing research-driven recommendations that benefit growers in the High Plains.
“One of the most significant agronomic challenges in the High Plains region is the limited availability of water, which imposes substantial physiological stress on crops,” Gilreath said.
Insect pressure can further exacerbate these conditions by compounding stress-related crop yield losses, he added.
“My role is to assist producers in implementing effective insect pest management strategies that minimize additional stresses, thereby supporting crop productivity under already constrained environmental conditions,” Gilreath said.
