Onikepe Akangbe

2022 – M.Sc. in Organic Agriculture (Agroecology), Wageningen University and Research, Netherlands (funded by the Orange Knowledge Programme, OKP)
2019 – B.Sc. in Agriculture (Crop Protection), University of Ilorin, Nigeria

I have a profound passion for sustainable agriculture, focusing on the dynamic interplay between soil microbes, plants, and insects. My primary interest lies in studying above-below-ground interactions in agricultural systems to develop sustainable methods for pest control and crop production.

During my M.Sc. thesis, I conducted research that investigated the effects of commercial arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi inoculation on aphid control and potato plant growth in arable soils with varying crop diversity management approaches, comparing strip-cropping and monocropping systems. The results showed that strip cropping, as a standalone practice, already exhibited a higher level of AM fungal colonization in plant roots. This heightened root colonization by AM fungi appeared to have had the potential to reduce the aphid populations, with commercial AM fungal inoculants having no significant effect on the outcomes.

With my doctoral research at the Sustainable Crop Production group, I aim to evaluate the effect of crop diversification on the AM symbiosis and its role in boosting plants' defense against insect herbivory within farming systems.