FABI News
1 Apr 2026
FABIans attend the third biennial CIFAR Fungal Kingdom Satellite Meeting
Researchers from the FABI recently attended the third biennial CIFAR Fungal Kingdom Satellite Meeting held in Pacific Grove, USA
31 Mar 2026
Easter Tea fun at FABI
FABIans enjoyed their annual Easter Tea event on 26 March
31 Mar 2026
Prof. Bernard Slippers participates in the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Research Award Symposium
FABI Director, Prof. Bernard Slippers attended the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Research Award Symposium as one of ten recipients of this prestigious Award in 2026
30 Mar 2026
Its Kiwifruit harvesting time and the KPP team wraps up another season!
Members of the Kiwifruit protection Programme in FABI recently made site visits to orchards in Limpopo's and KwaZulu-Natal.
27 Mar 2026
A fascinating Special Seminar by Dr Joey Tanney
FABI was honoured to host a special seminar by Natural Resources Canada’s Dr Joey Tanney.
FABI in a nutshell
Research Features
Tracing the past, building the future: FABI research unlocks the genetics and genomics of the Sirex woodwasp complex
FABI researcher co-authors global perspective on mycotoxins and food safety.
FABI researchers Prof. Cobus Visagie, Dr Neriman Yilmaz, and Nicole van Vuuren, together with international collaborators, have published a comprehensive taxonomic revision of the fungal order Eurotiales, which includes the economically important genera Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Talaromyces.
New publication explores the chemodiversity of Penicillium isolated from alpine and arctic environments, including ten new species.
Review emphasizes the importance of understanding the genetics of sex determination for effective genetic pest management in insects.
Eleven new Penicillium and Talaromyces species discovered in South African culture collections.
A new study reveals the presence of Mycotoxins in Eastern Cape maize in South Africa.
Eurotiales update: FABIans Prof. Cobus Visagie and Dr Neriman Yilmaz and their collaborators have published a review of recently described Eurotiales species, including the economically important Aspergillus, Penicillium, Paecilomyces and Talaromyces.
Da Vinci's Yeast: FABIans Prof. Cobus Visagie, Dr Neriman Yilmaz, and their collaborators have recently described and named a newly discovered yeast species of the famous Italian painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect Leonardo da Vinci.
The potential economic impact of the PSHB invasion in South Africa has been calculated to be a massive R275 billion over the next ten years, if nothing is done to stop the spread of this invasive beetle. Researchers from FABI collaborated with Stellenbosch University ecologists and economists to model the unmitigated economic impact of this invasion.
A recently published paper in the journal Current Forestry Reports documents a collaboration between an international team of forest pathologists and invasion scientists. Led by Dr Trudy Paap, the authors present a framework for conceptualizing and managing invasive forest pathogens.
A recently published review article by Dr Andi Wilson in a special issue of the journal 'Microbiology & Molecular Biology Reviews' provides details of the genes that are essential to the sexual cycle in filamentous Ascomycete fungi and further describes their functions in a variety of model and non-model species.
Penicillium section Canescentia re-evaluated and five new species described from the fynbos biome in South Africa.
In November 2019, the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology hosted a workshop on ‘Frameworks used in Invasion Science’. The workshop led to a NeoBiota special issue on this theme, and includes a review by FABI researchers and international colleagues, exploring frameworks in the context of forest pathology.
A doctoral study in FABI confirms for the first time the presence of Xylosandrus crassiusculus, a polyphagous ambrosia beetle and its fungal symbiont, Ambroseilla roeperi, in three provinces in South Africa. The authors warn that this beetle species could be a threat to native and plantation trees.
A review on invasive gall-forming wasps that threaten non-native Eucalyptus plantations by researchers in the TPCP appears in Agricultural and Forest Entomology. They profile several species of likely Australian origin that have established on non-native Eucalyptus plantations globally and discuss various challenges to their management.
A study in the TPCP confirms the identity of seven novel fungal species associated with Dendroctonus valens, the red turpentine beetle. The study follows on surveys on the fungal associates of the beetle in China and North America. Results from this work appear in Persoonia.
A postdoctoral study in the TPCP describes two novel Huntiella species in the African clade, bringing the number of known species in the genus to 31. Though closely related, the two species display different mating systems. Outcomes from this study appear in the journal MycoKeys.
A review of the invasion history and global management strategies of Eucalyptus snout beetles in the Gonipterus scutellatus species complex by researchers in the TPCP appears in the Journal of Pest Science.
In a collaborative venture with Dr Jos Houbraken (Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, the Netherlands), Prof. Cobus M Visagie, Dr Neriman Yilmaz (both from FABI) and others have recently completed and published a major study updating the taxonomy of the Eurotiales.
A study in the Forest Molecular Genetics (FMG) Programme at FABI interrogates the benefits of implementing genomic selection for growth and wood quality traits in an established Eucalyptus grandis breeding programme in South Africa. Outcomes from this study appear in an article.
The first study on alternative weed and cultivated hosts of Spongospora subterraneaf. sp. subterranea (Sss), in southern Africa identifies two species as ideal trap crops for rotation with potatoes. The study also introduces three new families to the known hosts of Sss in the region.
A consortium of microbiologists from around the globe, FABI included, is pushing for an overhaul in how scientific names are assigned to uncultivated bacteria and archaea. Despite their ecological, agricultural and medical importance, these organisms traditionally have not been recognized by the international body governing the nomenclature of prokaryotes.
Professor Cobus Visagie is a researcher in the Applied Mycology group at FABI. One of the group’s research goals is to discover fungal diversity in South Africa, and Cobus’ research is strongly focussed on the economically important genera Aspergillus, Penicillium and Talaromyces.
Postdoctoral research by Dr Norman Muzhinji in the Potato Pathology Programme at the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI) sheds light on the genetic structure and diversity of Spongospora subterranea f. sp. subterranea in four potato-growing regions in South Africa, providing valuable insights on its management.
An MSc study by Kira Lynn in the RGE-FABI Tree Health Programme at the University of Pretoria has described a new Fusarium species, Fusarium rekanum sp. nov., associated with Euwallacea perbrevis, an ambrosia beetle species infesting Acacia crassicarpa plantations in Riau, Indonesia.
FABI postdoctoral Fellow Dr Andi Wilson has established a CRISPR-Cas9-based genome editing protocol for use in Huntiella omanensis, a tree-inhabiting fungus belonging to the Ceratocystidaceae family.
Research undertaken as part of a PhD study by Molly Malefo at the University of Pretoria’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences and Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute sheds more light on the role of protease inhibitors in plants under drought stress.
The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) has funded a postdoctoral research project dedicated to monitoring plant health in botanical gardens and arboreta across South Africa. Two postdoctoral Fellows at the University of Pretoria’s Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute have held these fellowships.
The first comprehensive study mapping the distribution and genetic diversity of invasive Eucalyptus insect pests in sub-Saharan Africa confirms the presence of five major foliage-feeding species in 14 countries. The results of this study have implications on the quarantine, future research and management of these pests on the continent and beyond.
Dr Joey Hulbert broke new ground when he became the first candidate at the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute to complete a PhD study incorporating citizen science. Citizen science is an approach that involves members of the public as active participants in scientific research.
FABI technology unravels the genetics behind fungal genome evolution The RIPper is a bioinformatics tool for the for quantifying genome-wide RIP mutations in fungal genomes. The strength of this software lies in the automation of laborious techniques to study the mutation process called Repeat-Induced Point mutations (RIP). The RIPper applies these technique
With the increased availability in genome data, inferences regarding evolutionary relationships among taxa can now be performed on a genome-wide scale. But it is widely accepted that not all parts of such massive datasets support the same evolutionary hypothesis. Because of this, a group of researchers at FABI recently investigated the effect of this.
The use of genome data to characterize species and elucidate relationships, particularly between problematic taxa, has become routine practice in bacteria. Recently, researchers from FABI joined in an international effort to describe two novel genera and characterize these within the larger context of the important bacterial group Burkholderia.
A PhD student in FABI, Runlei Chang, has discovered and described 19 new fungal species from China as part of the research for his thesis. These fungi are all associated with conifer-infesting bark beetles and their mites and belong to well-known genera such as Ophiostoma and Leptographium.
Two research papers from FABI were selected as cover stories in two consecutive issues of the international journal, Plant Pathology. The journal is published by Wiley for the British Society of Plant Pathology.
Plastids play an integral role in wood formation, and yet they are routinely ignored in the study of xylogenesis in forest trees. Desre Pinard and Dr Eshchar Mizrachi have published a review highlighting the unique biology of plastids in wood, suggesting that a new type of plastid, the xylopast, exists.
Approaches for characterizing metabolic potential from genomic sequences have previously been predicted to be useful in the description of bacterial taxa. Dr Marike Palmer, has recently employed these approaches for identifying biological processes contributing to the divergence of bacteria with a variety of lifestyles.
Comparative genomics is shaping our notion of what fungal species are. Based on current data, these unique evolutionary units are separated from one another by boundaries that are porous under certain conditions. This affects our expectations regarding their population biology and evolution, and our strategies for recognizing and controlling them.
The Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer is an ambrosia beetle native to Southeast Asia. In 2017 this pest was detected in South Africa. Its presence has since been confirmed in all provinces except Limpopo. The beetle has a symbiotic relationship with the fungus Fusarium euwallaceae, which causes branch die-back and death of susceptible trees.
The RIFT-FABI Tree Protection Programme (RFTPP), is a cooperative venture programme established between the Research Institute of Fast-growing Trees (RIFT) of the Chinese Academy of Forestry in China, and the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. This Programme has arisen from a long term collaboration between the two institutions that was formally established in 2014. The relationship initially arose from joint funding to the two groups respectively by the Governments of the Peoples Republic of China and the Republic of South Africa as part of bi-lateral funding managed by the Department of Science and Technology (South Africa) and Ministry of Science and Technology in China. This funding has been sustained at various levels over a eight year period and it has resulted in many important outputs in terms of fundamental research, solutions to eucalypt disease problems and education of post graduate students (Human Capacity Development).
The precursor of the RFTPP was a the CERC-FABI Tree Protection Programme was a programme also previously known as the CERC-FABI Eucalyptus Pathology Programme (CFEPP). The overall objectives of that programme were to promote research and knowledge sharing concerning diseases of Eucalyptus. This objective was pursued very effectively but it has been recognized that the opporutnities and needs extend far beyond Eucalyptus and likewise beyond pathology. The need to include other tree crops and entomology has given ruise to an extended programme focused more broadly on TREE HEALTH. Thus, the primary goal of the RFTPP is to build further collaboration and associated opportunities in the field of on tree health research between RIFT and FABI.
Forestry represents one of the most important industrial sectors in China and in South Africa. In China, native forest ecosystems have been strictly protected since 2000, for this reason, plantations of tree such as eucalypts, pines and poplars, have been established to meet the needs of the national economy. By the end of 2013, around 4.5 million hectares of eucalypts have been planted in South China, which makes up about 6% of the whole plantation area of the country. At present, more than 20% of timber in China is obtained from eucalypts. There is no doubt that there will be an ongoing increase in commercial plantations in China to meet the growing needs for timber, paper and pulp in the future. In South Africa, the forestry industry is, similar to China, based on commercially managed plantations of non-native trees such as pine, eucalypts and exotic acacias. These plantations cover in excess of 1.5 million hectares and industry is one of the most important sources of export capital and employment.
The China Eucalypt Research Centre (CERC) (http://www.chinaeuc.com/enDefault.aspx) is the primary organization working on eucalypt breeding in China and it plays an essential role in supporting the eucalypt plantation industry in China. CERC also serves as the headquarters of the China Eucalypt Society and China Eucalypt Breeding Alliance. The research team of the Centre holds first hand knowledge and information regarding eucalypt plantations in China, and has published a large number of papers nationally and internationally in this field.
The Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI: http://www.fabinet.up.ac.za/) includes a research programme that represents the world's single largest team investigating pest and pathogen problems affecting plantation-grown forest trees, particularly those in the tropics and southern hemisphere. Since 1990, this research team in South Africa has been working extensively to support forestry companies in South Africa as well as those from other parts of the world. In addition to greatly contributing substantially to tree health and sustainable management of forestry through their research, a very substantial base of new knowledge has been generated on diseases and pests that damage forests and threaten the sustainability of forestry. Work has been published extensively in the international literature and students from many different parts of the world have benefited from post graduate education in the field of forest protection.
RIFT and FABI are both committed to promoting an enhanced understanding of the threat of pathogens and pests to forest plantations. They especially recognize the benefits that will come from collaboration and sharing knowledge pertaining to diseases and pests threatening the sustainability of plantations in China, South Africa and elsewhere in the world. Based on this realisation, the two institutions have agreed to established a programme known as the CERC-FABI Tree Protection Programme (CFTPP), now renamed the RFTPP. Funding for this collaborative venture comes from various sources including the South African and Chinese Governments, industrial companies, statutory and aid organisations.
Objectives of the RFTPP
• Study diseases and pests that threaten forests and forest plantation development in China and South Africa
• Understand the diversity, ecology, pathology and spread of these pathogens and pests that damage trees
• Screen genetic stock used to establish plantationsplantation tree hybrids and clonal material for resistance to the most important diseases and insect pests
• Promote joint opportunities relating to the biological control of insect pests
• Train young researchers in the broad fields related to tree health biotechnology
• Establish and maintain an innovative a model for science and technology cooperation between scientists in China and South Africa
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People's Republic of China, Former Minister of Education, Madam ZiLi Chen's visit to FABI. |
Forestry represents one of the most important industrial sectors in South Africa (SA) and in the People's Republic of China (PRC). In South Africa, the Forestry Industry is based on commercially managed plantations of non-native tree species such as those of Pine, Eucalypts and Acacias. These plantations cover in excess of 1.5 million hectares and industry is one of the most important sources of export capital and employment. In contrast, Forestry in China is mainly concerned with the management of natural forest. Here, forests cover 18.2% of the total land area, with more than 170 million hectares of forest. Of this, 69% is regarded as natural forest, and 31% is represented by plantations.
Native forest ecosystems in China have been strictly protected from logging since 2000. For this reason Eucalypt plantations have been established to meet the needs of the rapidly growing national economy. At the present time, in excess of 1.7 million hectares of Eucalypt trees have been planted in South China, especially in the provinces of GuangXi, GuangDong, HaiNan, FuJian, and Yunnan. Moreover, the company Asian Paper and Pulping (APP) has established one of the first pulp mills supplying approximately 1 million tons of pulp P/A in the HaiNan province. Two additional pulp mills with similar production capacity are in the process of being constructed in GuangDong and GuangXi and these should come on line in 2007. There is no doubt that there will be a substantial increase in Eucalyptus planting in China to meet the growing paper and pulp needs of the future.
Dr. ShuaiFei Chen
China Eucalypt Research Centre (CERC), Chinese Academy of Forestry (CAF)
30, Middle Renmin Avenue, Zhanjiang 524022, GuangDong Province, China
Tel: +86 759 3381022
Fax: +86 759 3380674
E-mail: shuaifei . chen @ fabi.up.ac.za OR shuaifei . chen @gmail.com (please remove gaps)
Prof. Mike Wingfield
Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria
Lunnon Road, Hillcrest, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
Tel: +27 12 420 3938
Fax: +27 12 420 3960
E-mail: mike . wingfield @fabi.up.ac.za (please remove gaps)
PUBLICATIONS
- Chen SF, Li GQ, Liu FF, Michailides TJ. 2015. Novel species of Botryosphaeriaceae associated with shoot blight of pistachio. Mycologia DOI:10.3852/14-242
- Li GQ, Arnold RJ, Liu FF, Li JQ, Chen SF. 2015. Identification and pathogenicity of Lasiodiplodia species from Eucalyptus urophylla × grandis, Polyscias balfouriana and Bougainvillea spectabilis in southern China. Journal of Phytopathology DOI:10.1111/jph.12398
- Liu FF, Mbenoun M, Barnes I, Roux J, Wingfield MJ, Li GQ, Li JQ, Chen SF. 2015. New Ceratocystis species from Eucalyptus and Cunninghamia in South China. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek DOI:10.1007/s10482-015-0441-3
Lombard L, Chen SF, Mou X, Zhou XD, Crous PW, Wingfield MJ. 2015. New species, hyper-diversity and potential importance of Calonectria spp. from Eucalyptus in South China. Studies in Mycology 80, 151-188. DOI:10.1016/j.simyco.2014.11.003- Chen SF, Morgan DP, Hasey JK, Anderson K, Michailides TJ. 2014. Botryosphaeriaceae and Diaporthaceae associated with panicle and shoot blight pistachio in California. Plant Disease 98, 636–652. DOI:10.1094/PDIS-07-13-0706-RE
- Chen SF, Morgan DP, Michailides TJ. 2014. Botryosphaeriaceae and Diaporthaceae associated with panicle and shoot blight pistachio in California, USA. Fungal Diversity 67, 157-179. DOI:10.1007/s13225-014-0285-6
- Luo JZ, Arnold RJ, Lu WH, Lin Y. 2014. Genetic variation in Eucalyptus camaldulensis and E. tereticornis for early growth and susceptibility to the gall wasp Leptocybe invasa in China. Euphytica 196, 397-411. DOI:10.1007/s10681-013-1042-8
- Romón P, De Beer ZW, Zhou XD, Duong TA, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ. 2014. Multigene phylogenies of Ophiostomataceae associated with Monterey pine bark beetles in Spain reveal three new fungal species. Mycologia 106, 119-132. DOI:10.3852/13-073
- Chen S, Van Wyk M, Roux J, Wingfield MJ, Xie Y, Zhou X. 2013. Taxonomy and pathogenicity of Ceratocystis species on Eucalyptus trees in South China, including C. chinaeucensis sp. nov. Fungal Diversity 58, 267-279.
- Chen SF, Wingfield MJ, Roets F, Roux J. 2013. A serious canker disease caused by Immersiporthe knoxdaviesiana gen. et sp. nov. (Cryphonectriaceae) on native Rapanea melanophloeos in South Africa. Plant Pathology 62, 667-678.
- Chen SF, Wingfield MJ, Roux J. 2013. Diversimorbus metrosiderotis gen. et sp. nov. and three new species of Holocryphia (Cryphonectriaceae) associated with cankers on native Metrosideros angustifolia trees in South Africa. Fungal Biology 117, 289–310.
- Chang RL, Arnold RJ, Zhou XD. 2012. Association between enzyme activity levels in Eucalyptus clones and their susceptibility to the gall wasp, Leptocybe invasa, in South China. Journal of Tropical Forest Science 24:256-264.
- Chen SF, Barnes I, Chungu D, Roux J, Wingfield MJ, Xie YJ, Zhou XD. 2011. High population diversity and increasing importance of the Eucalyptus stem canker pathogen, Teratosphaeria zuluensis, in South China. Australasian Plant Pathology 40, 407-415.
- Chen S, Gryzenhout M, Roux J, Xie Y, Wingfield MJ, Zhou X. 2011. Novel species of Celoporthe from Eucalyptus and Syzygium trees in China and Indonesia. Mycologia 103, 1384-1410.
- Chen SF, Lombard L, Roux J, Xie YJ, Wingfield MJ, Zhou XD. 2011. Novel species of Calonectria associated with Eucalyptus leaf blight in Southeast China. Persoonia 26, 1-12.
- Chen SF, Pavlic D, Roux J, Slippers B, Xie YJ, Wingfield MJ, Zhou XD. 2011. Characterization of Botryosphaeriaceae from plantation-grown Eucalyptus species in South China. Plant Pathology 60, 739-751.
- Zhou X, Wingfield MJ. 2011. Eucalypt diseases and their management in China. Australasian Plant Pathology 40, 339-345.
- Chen SF, Gryzenhout M, Roux J, Xie YJ, Wingfield MJ, Zhou XD. 2010. Identification and Pathogenicity of Chrysoporthe cubensis on Eucalyptus and Syzygium spp. in South China. Plant Disease 94, 1143-1150.
- Grobbelaar JW, de Beer ZW, Bloomer P, Wingfield MJ, Zhou XD, Wingfield BD. 2010. Discovery of Ophiostoma tsotsi on Eucalyptus wood chips in China. Mycoscience 52, 111-118.
- Lombard L, Zhou XD, Crous PW, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ. 2010. Calonectria species associated with cutting rot of Eucalyptus. Persoonia 24, 1-11.
- Paciura D, de Beer ZW, Jacobs K, Zhou XD, Ye H, Wingfield MJ. 2010. Eight new Leptographium species associated with tree-infesting bark beetles in China. Persoonia 25, 94-108.
- Paciura D, Zhou XD, De Beer ZW, Jacobs,Ye H, Wingfield MJ. 2010. Characterisation of synnematous bark beetle-associated fungi from China,including Graphium carbonarium sp. nov. Fungal Diversity 40, 75-88.
- Lombard L, Zhou XD, Crous PW, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ. 2010. Calonectria species associated with cutting rot of Eucalyptus. Persoonia 24, 1-11.
- Lu M, Zhou XD, De Beer ZW, Wingfield MJ, Sun JH. 2009. Ophiostomatoid fungi associated with the invasive pine-infesting bark beetle, Dendroctonus valens, in China. Fungal Diversity 38, 133-145.
- Yamaoka Y, Masuya H, Chung WH, Goto H, To-Anun C, Tokumasu S, Zhou X, Wingfield MJ. 2008. The teleomorph of Leptographium yunnanense, discovered in crosses among isolates from Thailand, China, and Japan. Mycoscience 49, 233-240.
- Zhou XD, Jacobs K, Kirisits T, Chhetri DB, Wingfield MJ. 2008. Leptographium bhutanense sp. nov., associated with the root collar weevil Hylobitelus chenkupdorjii on Pinus wallichiana in Bhutan. Persoonia 21, 1-8.
- Zhou XD, Xie YJ, Chen SF, Wingfield MJ. 2008. Diseases of eucalypt plantations in China: challenges and opportunities. Fungal Diversity 32, 1-7.
- Romón P, Zhou X, Iturrondobeitia JC, Wingfield MJ, Goldarazena A. 2007. Ophiostoma species (Ascomycetes: Ophiostomatales) associated with bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytinae) colonizing Pinus radiata in northern Spain. Canadian Journal of Microbiology 53, 756-767.
- Zhou X, Burgess TI, De Beer ZW, Lieutier F, Yart A, Klepzig K, Carnegie A, Portales JM, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ. 2007. High intercontinental migration rates and population admixture in the sapstain fungus Ophiostoma ips. Molecular Ecology 16, 89-99.
- Zhou XD, De Beer ZW, Xie Y, Pegg GS, Wingfield MJ. 2007. DNA-based identification of Quambalaria pitereka causingsevere leaf blight of Corymbia citriodora in China. Fungal Diversity 25, 245-254.
- Cortinas MN, Burgess T, Dell B, Xu DP, Crous PW, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ. 2006. First record of Colletogloeopsiszuluense comb. nov., causing a stem canker of Eucalyptus in China. Mycological Research 110, 229-236.
- Zhou XD, De Beer ZW, Wingfield MJ. 2006. DNA sequence comparisons of Ophiostoma spp., including Ophiostoma aurorae sp. nov., associated with pine bark beetles in South Africa. Studies in Mycology 55, 269-277.
- Kim JJ, Lim YW, Breuil C, Wingfield MJ, Zhou XD, Kim GH. 2005. A new Leptographium species associated with Tomicus piniperda infesting pine logs in Korea. Mycological Research 109, 275-284.
- Zhou XD, De Beer ZW, Ahumada R, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ. 2004. Ophiostoma and Ceratocystiopsis spp. associated with two pine-infesting bark beetles in Chile. Fungal Diversity 15, 261-274.
- Zhou X, De Beer ZW, Cibrian D, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ. 2004. Characterisation of Ophiostoma species associated with pine bark beetles from Mexico, including O. pulvinisporum sp. nov. Mycological Research 108, 690-698.
- Zhou X, De Beer ZW, Harrington TC, McNew D, Kirisits T, Wingfield MJ. 2004. Epitypification of Ophiostoma galeiforme and phylogeny of species in the O. galeiforme complex. Mycologia 96, 1306-1315.
- Zhou XD, Burgess T, De Beer ZW, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ. 2002. Development of polymorphic microsatellite markers for the tree pathogen and sapstain agent, Ophiostoma ips. Molecular Ecology Notes 2, 309-312.
- Zhou XD, De Beer ZW, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ. 2002. Infection sequence and pathogenicity of Ophiostoma ips, Leptographium serpens and L. lundbergii to pines in South Africa. Fungal Diversity 10, 229-240.
- Wingfield MJ, Slippers B, Zhou XD, De Beer ZW, Govender P, Wingfield BD. 2001. Global spread of insect-associated fungi on exotic plantation pines. IUFRO World Series 11, 107-114.
- Zhou XD, De Beer ZW, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ. 2001. Ophiostomatoid fungi associated with three pine-infesting bark beetles in South Africa. Sydowia 53, 290-300.
New Publications
Six DL, Marincowitz S, Duong TA. (2026) Ophiostoma ipsi-confusi sp. nov. Six, Marinc. & Duong, a consistent symbiotic fungus of the pinyon ips bark beetle, Ips confusus LeConte. Symbiosis
10.1007/s13199-026-01135-9
Yan Z, Zhao Y, Meng X, Gao M, Si H, Zhao G, Bose T, Chang R. (2026) New manganese-oxidizing Acremonium-like fungi from halophytic rhizospheres in the Yellow River Delta, China. Mycologia :1-13.
10.1080/00275514.2026.2627133
Eshetu FB, Barnes I, Nahrung HF, Fitza KNE, Slippers B. (2026) A Century of invasion: How biosecurity influenced populations of Sirex noctilio and Its fungal symbiont in Australasia. Molecular Ecology 35(6):0962 - 1083.
10.1111/mec.70311
Viljoen A, Duong TA, Kanzi AM, Wingfield BD. (2026) Comparative analysis of mitochondrial genomes in the Ceratocystidaceae reveals highly conserved gene organization despite substantial genome size variation. BMC Genomics
10.1186/s12864-026-12755-2
Ribeiro MF, Cavallini G, Solce GN, Favoreto AL, De Souza Passos J-R, Barbosa LR, Hurley BP, Wilcken CF. (2026) Cold storage of Gonipterus platensis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) eggs for Anaphes nitens (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) rearing. PeerJ :1-14.
10.7717/peerj.20903 
Pham NQ, Marincowitz S, Marpaung YMAN, Tarigan M, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ. (2026) Two Cryphonectriaceae species from Eucalyptus leaves in North Sumatra and their stem inoculation outcomes. Fungal Systematics and Evolution 17:69–79.
10.15761/fuse.2026.17.05
Nickles GR, Stokes CK, Narh DL, Lynn KMT, Fuqua SR, Bryan C, Allen BM, Bivins CP, Bok JW, Brewer JS, Buthelezi ST, Clark JPRM, Coon KL, Corby LR, Coetzee MPA, Dewing C, Duong TA, Harris MA, Keller NP, Kopotsa K, Lane FA, Nichols HL, Nieuwoudt A, Nuñez MA, Medina Munoz ME, Park SC, Pham NQ, Ryan KT, Solís M, Vilgalys R, Wallace JM, Wang YW, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ, Worley TK, Zallek TA, Zamanian M, Hoeksma JD, Drott M, Pringle A. (2026) Equipped for success: Genomes and metabolites of the European Amanita muscaria are conserved in its novel South African range. New Phytologist
10.1111/nph.71064
Pham NQ, Wingfield MJ, Duong TA, Wingfield BD. (2026) Draft genome sequence of Elsinoe masingae: the causal agent of Eucalyptus scab in South Africa. Australasian Plant Pathology 55:37.
10.1007/s13313-026-01082-5
Pham NQ, Marincowitz S, Wingfield BD, Crous PW, Santos SA, Durán A, Tarigan M, Wingfield MJ . (2026) Pseudoteratosphaeria supramediana sp. nov. (Teratosphaeriaceae, Mycosphaerellales), a new foliar pathogen on Eucalyptus in Indonesia. Australasian Plant Pathology 55:28.
10.1007/s13313-026-01092-3
Nel WJ, Jali S, Barnes I, Wondafrash M, Hurley BP. (2026) Outbreaks of a native jewel beetle, Agrilus grandis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), on commercial black wattle, Acacia mearnsii, plantations in South Africa. African Entomology 34(1):1-5.
10.17159/2254-8854/2026/a24625
Postma A, Klynsmith L, Duong TA, Allison JD, Smidt W, Waterhouse RM, Lesny P, Oeyen JP, Petersen M, Martin S, Liu S, Zhou X, Ziesmann T, Donath A, Mayer C, Misof B, Niehuis O, Peters RS, Podsiadlowski L, Coetzee MPA, Joubert F, Slippers B. (2026) Genome and transcriptome-based identification and expression profiling of chemosensory gene families across developmental stages and tissues in Sirex noctilio (Hymenoptera: Siricidae). Insect Molecular Biology :1-14.
10.1111/imb.70029
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Motaung TE, Ratsoma FM, Kunene S, Santana QC, Steenkamp ET, Wingfield BD. (2025) Harnessing exogenous membrane vesicles for studying Fusarium circinatum and its biofilm communities. Microbial Pathogenesis
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van Dijk A, Wilson AM, Marx B, Hough B, Swalarsk-Parry BS, De Vos L, Wingfield MJ, Wingfield BD, Steenkamp ET. (2025) CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing reveals that the Pgs gene of Fusarium circinatum is involved in pathogenicity, growth and sporulation.. Fungal Genetics and Biology
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Balocchi F, Wingfield MJ, Paap T. (2025) First record of the white root rot fungus Dematophora necatrix on indigenous South African trees. Journal of Plant Pathology
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Solís M, Hammerbacher A, Wingfield M.J, Naidoo S. (2025) Enhancing plantation forest sustainability: A review of Eucalyptus defence mechanisms to foliar fungal pathogens. Current Forestry Reports
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Ratsoma MF, Santana QC, Wingfield BD, Steenkamp ET, Motaung TE. (2025) Understanding cargo sorting and interactive effects of membrane vesicles in fungal phytopathogens: Current knowledge and research gaps. Fungal Biology Reviews 51
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Harvey A, van den Berg N, Swart V. (2025) In silico characterisation of the avocado WAK/WAKL gene family with a focus on genes involved in defence against Phytophthora cinnamomi. Frontiers in Plant Science 15:1474781.
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Li WW, Liu FF, Chen SF, Wingfield MJ, Duong TA. (2025) High genetic diversity and limited regional population differentiation in populations of Calonectria pseudoreteaudii from Eucalyptus plantations. Phytopathology
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Wondafrash M, Wingfield MJ, Hurley BP, Slippers B, Mutitu EK, Jenya H, Paap T. (2025) DNA sequence data confirms the presence of two closely related cypress-feeding aphid species on African cypress (Widdringtonia spp.) in South Africa. Southern Forests 86:278-285.
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