FABI Shines at Autumn Graduation 2016-04-22
Forty postgraduate students affiliated with FABI were awarded their degrees at the Autumn Graduation Ceremony of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences on April 18. FABI applauds the 12 PhD, 14 MSc and 25 BSc Honours graduates capped on the day. Listed below are the graduates and the titles of their dissertations as well as the Honours students with projects in FABI over the past year.
PhDs
Evolution of mitochondrial genomes in the Fasarium fujikuroi species complex
Supervisor: Prof ET Steenkamp
Co-supervisors: Prof BD Wingfield, Prof MJ Wingfield, Dr NA van der Merwe
Dr Luke Jimu
Diseases and pests of Eucalyptus species in Zimbabwe with particular reference to Teratosphaeria stem canker
Supervisor: Prof J Roux
Co-supervisors: Prof MJ Wingfield, Dr E Mwenje
Biology of Ceratocystis albifundus and Ceratocystis pirilliformis in South Africa
Supervisor: Prof MJ Wingfield
Co-supervisors: Prof J Roux, Prof BD Wingfield
Describing the continuum of salicylic and jasmonic acid mediated defence responses in the avocado-Phytophtora cinnamomi interaction
Supervisor: Prof N van den Berg
Co-supervisor: Dr BG Crampton
Transcriptomic responses of host and fungal pathogen in the Eucalyptus grandis and Chrysoporthe austroafricana interaction
Supervisor: Dr S Naidoo
Co-supervisor: Prof AA Myburg, Dr NA van der Merwe
Functional characterisation of cell wall-related proteins of unknown function (CW-PUFs) in Arabidopsis thaliana
Supervisor: Prof AA Myburg
Co-supervisor: Dr E Mizrachi
External co-supervisor: Prof SD Mansfield (University of British Columbia, Canada)
Overcoming bias in Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) genotype detection and a population study of CTV within Southern African Star Ruby grapefruit orchards
Supervisor: Prof G Pietersen
Mating in Ceratocystis
Supervisor: Prof BD Wingfield
Co-supervisor: Prof MJ Wingfield
MSc
Enterobacter and Xanthomonas species associated with blight and die-back of Eucalyptus
Supervisor: Prof TA Coutinho
Co-supevisor: Prof SN Venter
Vanessa Cronje
Infection and colonization of onion seedlings by Pantoea ananatis and P. allii
Supervisor: Prof TA Coutinho
Co-supervisor: Prof N van den Berg
Herman de Bruin*
Characterising the diversity of Beauveria species infecting insects in South African plantations
Supervisor: Prof B Slippers
Co-supervisor: Dr ZW de Beer
Simone Fouché*
Molecular characterisation of an accessory chromosome of Fusarium circinatum
Supervisor: Prof ET Steenkamp
Co-supervisor: Prof BD Wingfield, Dr MPA Coetzee
Claire Melinda Martin
Elicitation of medicinally active dicaffeoylguinic acid derivatives from Helichrysum populifolium (Asteraceae)
Supervisor: Dr Bridget Crampton
External co-supervisors: Dr I Gazendam (Agricultural Research Council); Dr HM Heyman (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA)
Rofhiwa Nesamari
Identification of diseases and pests of cycads in South Africa
Supervisor: Prof J Roux
Co-supervisor: Prof TA Coutinho
Gi Yoon Shin*
Investigation of the genetic diversity of Pantoea ananatis
Supervisor: Prof SN Venter
Co-supervisor: Prof TA Coutinho
Detection and isolation of homogeneous genotypes of Citrus tristeza virus for use in virus control through cross protection
Supervisor: Prof Gerhard Pietersen
Characterising quorum sensing regulation of virulence in Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. Brasiliensis
Supervisor: Prof LN Moleleki
Molecular characterisation of the growth rate determining quantitative trait locus in Fusarium circinatum
Supervisor: Prof ET Steenkamp
Co-supervisor: Prof BD Wingfield, Dr L de Vos, Dr NA van der Merwe
Sexual Reproduction in the Genus Huntiella
Supervisor: Prof BD Wingfield, Dr MA van der Nest
BSc Honours students affiliated with FABI:
Gabriella Barnard
Hanlica Erasmus
Juanita Hanneman
Candice Herd
Xongani Khoza
Nadine Koen
Marike Louw
Malebo Makunyane
Katlego Masike
Wilma Nel
Alandie Nieuwoud*
Monique Otto
Naomi Park
Shamara Polliack
Azille Schulze
Elzette Wentzel
Catherine Wickham