FABI News
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.
26 Mar 2026
The FABI INSPIRE Open Air Laboratory officially opened
The FABI INSPIRE Open Air Laboratory was officially opened at a ceremony on 11 March.
25 Mar 2026
FABI’s Mentorship programme again breaks records
The FABI mentorship programme continues its impressive trajectory, officially kicking off the 2026 cycle with a record-breaking 40 undergraduate students.
23 Mar 2026
First joint TPCP / FMG-EPPI Symposium a great success
The first joint symposium of the TPCP and FMG-EPPI programme was hosted at the Future Africa campus.
19 Mar 2026
Polish collaborators attend the annual TPCP / FMG-EPPI Symposium
FABI welcomed back research collaborators from the University of Agriculture in Krakow.
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.
This website serves as a link and resource for the research and forestry community interested in the invasive pest, Sirex noctilio (the Sirex Woodwasp), and its control.
Just over 100 years has passed since the Eurasian woodwasp Sirex noctilio, first appeared outside its native range, in pine plantations of New Zealand. This alien invasive pest, together with its Amylostereum areolatum fungus symbiont, gradually spread, first to Australia and later, in the 1980's to South American countries. Sirex continues to spread in South America and alarmingly, in the early 1990's appeared for the first time on the African continent, in South Africa. Just two year's ago the wasp was encountered in New York and it is now known to be established in eastern North America. In every country where S. noctilio has become established, it has resulted in considerable damage and cost to local economies. There can be no doubt that the global spread of Sirex is set to continue. Special measures and a resurgence of research effort will clearly be required to contain the negative impacts of this scourge to global forests and forestry.
The first appearance of the Eurasian woodwasp in the southern hemisphere led to a period of intensive research on this pest. Substantial attention was given to control options that included the discovery and deployment of various biological control agents such as the wasp parasitoid Ibalia leucospoides and the parasitic nematode Deladenus siricidicola. These agents, together with silvicultural practices to reduce stress in plantations and stop the spread of the wasp, have yielded impressive control of Sirex, particularly in areas where Sirex first appeared. Control of Sirex in areas that it has more recently invaded has yielded variable and sometimes disappointing results. This could be attributed to factors relating to pine hosts new to Sirex, climatic conditions different to those where biological control has been effective, mismatch of biotypes of the wasp, its fungal symbiont or its parasites, or indeed a great number of other factors.
The website contains:
- LITERATURE - View, download and contribute papers linked to Siricidae, their associated fungi, tree hosts, parasites and control programs.
- LINKS - Sirex noctilio and Siricid related links
If you wish to contribute images or papers, or would like to join the SIREX LISTSERVER, linking the community of people working on this pest, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Bernard Slippers.
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New Publications
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
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
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
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
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
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
Ramantswana TM, Malatji DP, Pierneef RE, Soma P, Van Der Nest MA, Muchadeyi FC. (2025) Differential gene expression analysis of Dohne Merino sheep naturally infected with Haemonchus contortus. Scientific Reports 15:41843.
10.1038/s41598-025-25782-y
Nadasen T, Buitendag C, Visser R, Welgemoed T, Hein I, Berger DK. (2025) A latent invader: transcriptomics reveals Cercospora zeina’s stealth infection strategy of maize and immune-activating effectors. Frontiers in Plant Science 16:1-23.
10.3389/fpls.2025.1703682