Valeska Villegas Escobar

​Dr. Valeska Villegas is a Professor of the Department of Biological Sciences at EAFIT University. She is a Chemical Engineer with a Master in Plant Biotechnology of Imperial College of London and a PhD in Biotechnology of Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Her research activities have been focus on the production of biopesticides and biofertilizers for different agricultural crops.

​My research and experience are focus on the development of biological products useful for agriculture crops. I have special interest on understanding the role of metabolites produced by bacterial strains in the biological control phytopathogens; as well as creating new bioprospecting methods to screen microorganisms and active metabolites. My work has also been focused on evaluating and optimizing the production process of microorganism, formulation of microbial and active ingredients.

• 2021. Role of Bacillus tequilensis EA-CB0015 cells and lipopeptides in the biological control of black Sigatoka disease Tatiana Z. Cuellar-Gaviria, Lina M. Gonzalez-Jaramillo, Valeska Villegas-Escobar.  Biological Control 155 (2021) 104523​

• 2020. Inducible Antibacterial Activity in the Bacillales by Triphenyl Tetrazolium Chloride. Laura Sierra-Zapata, Javier C . Álvarez, Magally Romero-Tabarez, Mark.W. Silby, Matthew F. Traxler, Scott W. Behie, Rita de C assia Pessotti & Valeska Villegas-Escobar. Scientific Reports | (2020) 10:5563. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-62236-z
  

• 2020. Bacillus subtilis EA-CB0575 genome reveals clues for plant growth promotion and potential for sustainable agriculture. Nicolás D. Franco-Sierra; Luisa F. Posada;  Germán Santa-María;  Magally Romero-Tabarez; Valeska Villegas-Escobar;  Javier C. Álvarez. Functional & Integrative Genomics volume 20, pages575–589. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10142-020-00736-x​
  
• 2019. Phylogenetic and pathogenic variability of strains of Ralstonia solanacearumcausing moko disease in Colombia. M. Ramírez , R. N. Moncada, V. Villegas-Escobar, R. W. Jackson and C. A. Ramírez. Plant Pathology (2019). Doi: 10.1111/ppa.13121
  
• 2018, Enhanced molecular visualization of root colonization and growth promotion by Bacillus subtilis EA-CB0575 in different growth systems. Luisa F. Posada, J.C. Álvarez, Magally Romero-Tabarez, Luz de-Bashan, Valeska Villegas-Escobar. Microbiological Research 217 (2018) 69–80.
  
• 2017. Biocontrol activity of Bacillus subtilis EA-CB0015 cells and lipopeptides against postharvest fungal pathogens. Arroyave-Toro, J.J.; Mosquera, S.; Villegas-Escobar, V. Biological Control 114 (2017) 195–200
• 2017. Antimycotic activity of fengycin C biosurfactant and its interaction with phosphatidylcholine model membranes. González-Jaramillo, L.M.; Aranda, F.J.; Teruela, J.A.; Villegas-Escobar, V.; Ortiz, A. Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces 156: 114–122.
• 2017. Reviewing Microbial Behaviors in Ecosystems Leading to a Natural Quorum Quenching Occurrence. Sierra-Zapata, L; Romero Tabarez, M.; Correa Álvarez, J.; Villegas Escobar, V. Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology. v.60: e17160295.
• 2016. Bioprospecting of aerobic endospore-forming bacteria with biotechnological potential for growth promotion of banana plants. Posada, L.F.; Ramírez, M.; Ochoa-Gómez, N.; Cuellar-Gaviria, T.Z.; Argel-Roldan, L.E.; Ramírez, C.A.; Villegas-Escobar, V. Scientia Horticulturae 212 81–90.
• 2016. Incorporation of a microbial fungicide into a chemical fungicide program for the control of black sigatoka disease in banana plants. Villegas-Escobar, V.; Rey, V.; Mosquera, S.; Gutierrez-Monsalve, J.A.; Sanchez, J.D. Proceedings of the Meeting “Biocontrol and Microbial Ecology”, Vol 117, , pg: 74-78. ISBN 978-92-9067-301-9.​ 
• ​2015. Effective control of black Sigatoka disease using a microbial fungicide based on Bacillus subtilis EA-CB0015 culture. Gutierrez-Monsalve, J.A.; Mosquera, S.; González-Jaramillo, L.M.; Mira, J.J.; Villegas-Escobar, V. Biological Control 87 (2015) 39- 46.  
• 2015. Effect of medium components and culture conditions in Bacillus subtilis EA-CB0575 spore production. Posada-Uribe, L.F.; Romero-Tabarez, M.; Villegas-Escobar, V. Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering, 38(10):1879-88. ​
• 2014 Multiple response optimization of Bacillus subtilis EA-CB0015 culture and identification of antifungal metabolites. Mosquera S., González-Jaramillo L.M., Orduz S., Villegas-Escobar V. Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology. (2014). 3, 378–385. 
  
• 2013 Fengycin C Produced by Bacillus subtilis EA-CB0015. Villegas-Escobar, V. Ceballos, I.; Mira, J.J.; Argel, L.E.; Orduz Peralta, S.; Romero-Tabarez, M. Journal of Natural Products (2013), 76: 503−509. 
  
• 2012 Cultivable Bacteria Populations Associated with Leaves of Banana and Plantain Plants and Their Antagonistic Activity Against Mycosphaerella fijiensis. Ceballos, I.; Mosquera, S; & Angulo, M.; & Mira, J. J.; Argel, L.E; Uribe-Velez, D.; Rome​ro-Tabarez, M.; Orduz-Peralta, S.; Villegas, V. Microbial Ecology (2012), 64: 641 – 653.
• 2011 Quorum sensing y quorum quenching,  posibles usos en la agricultura para el control de bacterias fitopatógenas. En Enfermedades De Plantas: Manejo Biológico. Editor Liliana Hoyos Carvajal.  (2011), Edición 1. Pg: 73 – 99.
• 2011 Comunicación celular, comportamiento ancestral para la supervivencia. Boletín del Museo Entomológico Francisco Luís Gallego (2011), 3(2): 7-11.
• 2007 Evaluación del crecimiento de Lentinula edodes en medios de cultivo sólidos para la producción de micelio como inóculo. Valeska Villegas Escobar, Clara Arredondo, Ana Milena Pérez. Revista Colombiana de Biotecnología (2007), IX (2): 56-63.​​​
• 2007 Evaluación de la producción del hongo Lentinula edodes Pegler en bloques sintéticos a base de residuos agroindustriales. Valeska Villegas Escobar, Clara Arredondo, Ana Milena Pérez. Revista de Ingeniería y Ciencia (2007), 3 (6): 23-39.