FABI News

FABI Events

FABI in a nutshell

Research Features

PROGRAMME AND INDIVIDUAL ABSTRACTS

THURSDAY 10 MAY

7:30-8:15 REGISTRATION

INTRODUCTORY PERSPECTIVES
8:15-8:30 Mike Wingfield (FABI, UP, South Africa) - Welcome
8:30-9:00 Mike Edwards (FSA, South Africa) - Opening address

REGIONAL OVERVIEWS: Past and future perspective
AUSTRALIA
9:00-9:20 Dennis Haugen (USA) - Sirex management in response to the green triangle outbreak: Lessons for other countries
9:20-9:40 Dick Bashford (Australia) - The current status of S. noctilio distribution, impact and control in Australia

EUROPE
9:40-10:00 Iben Thomsen (Denmark) - A review of Siricids and their fungi in Europe
10:00-10:20 Jan Stenlid (Sweden) - Genetic variation in Amylostereum in Northern and Central Europe

10:20-10:40 Discussion time

10:40-11:10 TEA BREAK

ASIA
11:10-11:30 Mashanobu Tabata (Japan) - A review of Siricid woodwasps, their fungi, and interactions with trees in Japan

SOUTH AMERICA
11:30-11:50 Edson Iede (Brazil) - The woodwasp Sirex noctilio in Brazil - monitoring and control
11:50-12:10 Marcos Beeche (Chile) - Official Program for the detection and control of Sirex noctilio (Hymenoptera: Siricidae) in Chile
12:10-12:30 Rodrigo Ahumada (Chile) - The control of Sirex noctilio in Pinus plantations of the Arauco companies
12:30-12:50 Vicky Klasmer (Argentina) - The introduction, impact and control of S. noctilio in southern Argentina

12:50-13:10 Discussion time

13:10-14:10 LUNCH

NORTH AMERICA
14:10-14:30 Noel Schneeberger (USA) - Response to the recent find of Sirex noctilio in the United States
14:30-14:50 Vic Mastro (David Williams) (USA) - A research update on Sirex noctilio for North America
14:50-15:10 Nathan Schiff (USA) - Siricid diversity, biology and tools for identification
15:10-15:30 Kevin Dodds (USA) - Sirex noctilio detection and behaviour in North American pine ecosystem

15:30-16:00 TEA BREAK

16:00-16:20 Pieter de Groot (Canada) - An overview of the survey for, and research activities on, Sirex noctilio in Canada
16:20-16:40 Isabel Leal (Canada) - Siricid-Fungal-Nematode interactions in Canada
16:40-17:00 David Williams (USA) - Establishment of Beddingia siricidicola for biological control of Sirex noctilio in the Unired States: questions, issues, and challenges
17:00-17:20 Darek Czokajlo (USA) - Optimized Sirex surveillance technology: Designing lures and traps for pest and program needs
17:20-17:40 Discussion time

17:40 OPTIONAL TOUR OF FABI LABS AND NEMATODE-FUNGUS-SIREX RESEARCH


FRIDAY, 11 MAY

AFRICA
8:00-8:20 Colin Dyer (South Africa) - An overview of the national Sirex control strategy in South Africa
8:20-8:40 Phillip Croft (South Africa) - Monitoring the introduction, development and damage of Sirex infestation levels in KwaZulu-Natal
8:40-9:00 Brett Hurley (South Africa) - The Sirex control program in the eastern parts of South Africa: Lessons from research efforts between 2004-2006
9:00-9:20 Grant Boreham (South Africa) - Silvicultural measures to reduce the impact of S. noctilio in Kwazulu-Natal: Challenges and opportunities
9:20-9:40 Marcel Verleur (South Africa) - Validation for mass inoculations with Beddingia siricidicola, despite apparent low inoculation generated parasitism rates
9:40-10:00 Marius du Plessis (South Africa) - Influence of Sirex infestation of P. patula TMP pulp properties

10:00-10:20 Discussion time

10:20-11:00 TEA BREAK

11:00-11:20 Member Mushongahande (Zimbabwe) - The potential threat of Sirex noctilio F. to Zimbabwe�s forestry industry
11:20-11:40 Clement Chilima (Tanzania) - The threat of Sirex noctilio and other alien invasives species in Africa

OVERARCHING THEMES & EXPANDING FRONTIERS
11:40-12:00 Gillian Allard (Italy) - Perspectives on the impending threat of Sirex noctlio in Africa
12:00-12:20 Alan Cameron (USA) - The role of parasitoids in management of Sirex: Looking back and looking ahead
12:20-12:40 Dolly Lanfranco (Chile) - Key biological factors in the management of Sirex noctilio: a review

12:40-13:00 Discussion time

13:00-14:00 LUNCH BREAK

14:00-14:20 Jeffrey Dean (USA) - Opportunities for Sirex research in the genomics era
14:20-14:40 Magriet van der Nest (South Africa) - The genetics of recognition in Amylostereum species
14:40-15:00 Kier Klepzig (USA) - Competitive interactions among forest insect associated fungi: Implications to biology, population dynamics, and control
15:00-15:20 Diana Six (USA) - Climate change and the threat of forest insect and their associated fungi
15:20-15:40 Bernard Slippers (South Africa) - The spread and establishment of Sirex noctilio and Amylostereum areolatum in new environments
15:40-16:00 Simon Lawson (Australia) - A focus on pathways to stop the threat of invasive forest pests: Sirex as an example

16:00-16:20 Discussion time

16:20-17:00 Mike Wingfield (South Africa) - Summary and concluding remarks


SATURDAY, 12 MAY
Early departure to Kruger National Park.
Spend day in Kruger Park.
Overnight at Berg en Dal Rest Camp.

SUNDAY, 13 MAY
Spend day in Kruger Park.
Overnight at Skukuza Rest Camp.

MONDAY, 14 MAY
Early departure, through Mpumalanga Pine and Eucalyptus plantation areas.
Field stop to view plantations, and diseases and pests in these.
Stay in Ascot Inn and associated accommodation, Pietermaritzburg.

TUESDAY, 15 MAY
Field day. Visit Sirex infested sites in the Kwazulu-Natal midlands.
Discussions and demonstrations of biological control. Organized by the ICFR in collaboration with Private Forestry companies.
Stay in Ascot Inn and associated accommodation, Pietermaritzburg.

WEDNESDAY, 16 MAY
Sirex workshop, summarizing views from the symposium held in Pretoria, and critically analyzing the South African situation. Organized by the ICFR.
Stay in Ascot Inn and associated accommodation, Pietermaritzburg.

THURSDAY, 17 MAY
Depart. South African delegation drive to Pretoria.
International guests have option to fly out of Durban airport to OR Tambo (Johannesburg) International airport, and from their onwards.

New Publications

Botha I, Maduna SN, Hagen SB, Lall N, Berger DK. (2026) 3RAD-Guided SNP Discovery for Species Identification and Conservation of the Medicinal Southern African Tree Genus Greyia Hook. & Harv.. Ecology and Evolution 16(5):e73412, 1-29. 10.1002/ece3.73412
Dlamini CM, Matongera TN, Lawson SA, Healey M, Tanga A, Regasa K, Kassie W, Hurley BP, Germishuizen I. (2026) Modelling spatiotemporal dynamics of wattle plantations in northwestern Ethiopia using harmonised PlanetScope and RapidEye imagery. Trees, Forests and People 25:101293. 10.1016/j.tfp.2026.101293 PDF
Ndou M, Potts WM, Duong TA, Teske PR, Childs AR, Henriques R. (2026) Conspecific Scaffold-Level Genome Assembly Outperforms Heterospecific Chromosome-Level Assemblies for Assessing Genetic Indicators in a Threatened Marine Fish. Evolutionary Applications 19:e70247. 10.1111/eva.70247
Wingfield BD, Coetzee MPA, Wingfield BJ, Groenewald M, Pohl C, Wingfield MJ. (2026) The genetic blueprint of Cyclohexamide resistance: Analysis of 816 yeast species. Research Square 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9313202/v1
Paap T, White D, Bose T, Burgess TI. (2026) Diversity and phylogeny of Phytophthora Clade 9, including descriptions of three novel species. Mycological Progress 25:29. 10.1007/s11557-026-02140-4
Li GQ, Slippers B, Wingfield MJ, Chen SF. (2026) Diversity, distribution and host range of Botryosphaeriaceae in China. Forest Pathology 10.1111/efp.70077
Joubert M, van den Berg N, Theron J, Swart V. (2026) Leaf bleaching is associated with extensive transcriptional reprogramming in avocado trees with sunblotch disease. Virology 620:110903. 10.1016/j.virol.2026.110903 PDF
Nzuza P, Schroder ML, Slippers B, Maes WH. (2026) Spectral responses to larval and artificial defoliation in Eucalyptus dunnii: Implications for UAV-based detection of Gonipterus damage. Drones 10(4) 10.3390/drones10040250
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 PDF
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 PDF
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
Aylward J, Visagie CM, Roets F, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ. (2026) Genome analyses reveal two novel species of Seiridium from Acacia mearnsii. Mycological Progress 25:8. 10.1007/s11557-026-02121-7
Liu QL, Wingfield MJ, Duong TA, Wingfield BD, Crous PW. (2026) Taxonomy, distribution and dispersal of Calonectria species: Important pathogens of forestry, agricultural and horticultural crops. Current Forestry Reports 12(4) 10.1007/s40725-025-00262-8
Nethononda PD, Hurley BP, Slippers B, Makhura MN. (2026) Smallholder farmers’ knowledge, perception and management of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on Zea mays at irrigation schemes in Limpopo province, South Africa. Crop Protection :107457. 10.1016/j.cropro.2025.107457
Swanepoel S, Naidoo S. (2026) A weighted gene co-expression network analysis characterises the common defence responses of Eucalyptus to diverse biotic challenges. Scientific Reports 16:5387. 10.1038/s41598-025-32699-z
Addikah C, Abubeker H, Mukiibi A, Bairu M, Amelework A, Van der Laan M, Mangani R. (2026) Current and future potential of cassava (Manihot esculenta) in Southern Africa: a scoping review. 4:120. 10.1007/s44279-026-00598-0
Botha I, De Canha MN, Oberlander K, Botes J, Lall N, Berger DK. (2025) DNA barcoding and anti-tyrosinase activities of three species-representative populations of the genus Greyia Hook & Harv. South African Journal of Botany 189:55-67. 10.1016/j.sajb.2025.11.035
Thomas C, Wilken PM, Coetzee MPA, Visagie CM. (2025) Advancing the taxonomy of Sclerotinia (Helotiales, Sclerotiniaceae): a review and recommendations for an important plant-pathogenic genus. IMA Fungus 17:e175737. 10.3897/imafungus.17.175737
Townsend G, Hill M, Hurley BP, Nel WJ, Crous C, Roets F. (2025) First report of the ambrosia beetle, Amasa parviseta (Curculiondae: Scolytinae), in South Africa. African Entomology 10.17159/2254-8854/2025/a24167 PDF
Roux J, del M Angel L, Barnes I. (2025) First report of the eucalypt stem canker pathogen Teratosphaeria gauchensis in South Africa. New Disease Reports 52(2):e70091. 10.1002/ndr2.70091
Nel WJ, Barnes I, Jali S, Impson F, Oberprieler RG, Hurley BP. (2025) First report of Melanterius inconspicuus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cleogonini) from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, with observations of its development in black wattle. Southern Forests 10.2989/20702620.2025.2537823 PDF
Regasa K, Beze W, Anjulo A, Wondafrash M, Hurley BP, Lawson SA, Healey M, Germishuizen I. (2025) Evaluating fungicides for the management of rust (Uromycladium acaciae) on black wattle nursery seedlings in Awi zone, Amhara regional state, Ethiopia. International Journal of Forestry Research 10.1155/ijfr/5547814