Dr Irene Barnes

Post-doctoral Research Fellow
DST/NRF Centre of Excellence in Tree Health Biotechnology

Research Interests

• Fungal taxonomy
• Fungal phylogenetics and phylogeography
• Population genetics  
• Plant pathology and Forest pathology
• Seiridium, Ceratocystis, Dothistroma

Projects and collaborations

Dothistroma (PhD)

Taxonomy, phylogeny and population biology of the red-band needle blight pathogens.
In this study we focus on characterising and describing the pathogens that cause Dothistroma needle blight (DNB) or red-band needle blight. We determine their phylogenetic placement within the Mycosphaerellaceae and investigate their host range and geographical distribution. The work also involves the development of microsatellite markers for population studies of D. septosporum. We highlight easy detection methods to identify these pathogens including a PCR-RFLP diagnostic method and the use of species-specific mating type primers (see publications below for 2004, 2007, 2008).

PDF’s can be requested for the following:

• Microsatellite enrichment protocol: M-Fiasco (see also Zane et al. 2002, Molecular Ecology).
• Microsatellite polymorphims and sequence variation observed within and between isolates of D. septosporum and D. pini using microsatellite markers.

Ceratocystis (MSc)
Taxonomy, phylogeny and population biology of Ceratocystis species with particular reference to Ceratocystis fimbriata.
This work included designing microsatellite markers that were used to study populations of C. fimbriata and C. albifundus, describing Ceratocystis pirilliformis as new species infecting Eucalyptus nitens in Australia, and reporting the presence of C. fimbriata for the first time in Uruguay on E. grandis. (See publications in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008).

Seiridium (Honours)
A molecular study of the Seiridium spp. associated with cypress canker.
The phylogeny of the cypress canker pathogens (S. cardinal, S. unicorne and S. cupressi) and other Seiridium spp. were determined using sequence data from the β-tubulin and histone gene regions. (See publications in 2001, 2004, 2007).

Useful websites:
Index Fungorum
http://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/Names.asp
Index herbariorum
http://sciweb.nybg.org/science2/IndexHerbariorum.asp
SASPP (Southern African Society of Plant Pathology)
http://www.saspp.co.za/
Phylogeny programs
http://evolution.genetics.washington.edu/phylip/software.html