FABI News
7 Dec 2021
Ariska makes it ten
Congratulations to Ariska van der Nest on becoming the tenth FABIan to complete their PhD in 2021.
3 Dec 2021
A double celebration for Agil as she completes her PhD
It was a double celebration for Agil Katumanyane when she successfully defended het PhD on 30 November.
3 Dec 2021
Arrival of parasitoid wasps from Australia
On Thursday evening, 11 November, FABI welcomed a new shipment of Gonipterus egg capsules all the way from Australia!
2 Dec 2021
Connecting the dots with Indonesia
The RGE-FABI Tree Health Programme ended the year with a research update meeting on 30 November.
30 Nov 2021
Fabian receives L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science award
FABI PhD student Agil Katumanyane received the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award for Sub-Saharan Africa Young Talents.
FABI in a nutshell
Research Features
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.
52nd Southern African Society for Plant Pathology Conference
Venue: Future Africa, University of Pretoria
Date: 17th - 20th January 2021
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
South African Journal of Science: Special issue on Plant Health
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
International Society of Chemical Ecology
Venue: Stellenbosch University
Date: 6th - 11th September 2020
Contact: Jeremy Allison, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The 31th National Symposium on Biological Invasions
Venue: Future Africa, University of Pretoria
Date: 13th - 15th May 2020
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
New Publications
Avontuur JR, Palmer M, Beukes CW, Wai YC, Tasiya T, van Zyl E, Coetzee MPA, Stepkowski T, Venter SN, Steenkamp ET. (2022) Bradyrhizobium altum sp. nov., Bradyrhizobium oropedii sp. nov. and Bradyrhizobium acaciae sp. nov. from South Africa show locally restricted and pantropical nodA phylogeographic patterns. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 167
10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107338 
Solís M, Wingfield MJ, Hammerbacher A, Naidoo S. (2021) Comparison of the infection biology of Teratosphaeria destructans and Teratosphaeria epicoccoides on Eucalyptus. Plant Disease
10.1094/PDIS-09-21-1877-RE
Houbraken J, Visagie CM, Frisvad J. (2021) Recommendations To Prevent Taxonomic Misidentification of Genome-Sequenced Fungal Strains. Microbiology Resource Announcements 10:e0107420.
10.1128/MRA.01074-20
Gevers CR, Slippers B, Germishuizen I, Dittrich-Schröder G, Hurley BP. (2021) The distribution and diversity of Leptocybe invasa (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) and its gall associates in South Africa. Southern Forests
10.2989/20702620.2021.1944395
Tremblay J, Goulet M-C, Vorster J, Goulet C, Michaud M. (2021) Harnessing the functional diversity of plant cystatins to design inhibitor variants highly active against herbivorous arthropod digestive proteases. The FEBS Journal
10.1111/febs.16288
Aylward J, Wingfield MJ, Roets F, Wingfield BD. (2021) A high-quality fungal genome assembly resolved from a sample accidentally contaminated by multiple taxa. BioTechniques 72
10.2144/btn-2021-0097
Van Rooyen E, Paap T, De Beer ZW, Townsend G, Fell S, Nel WJ, Morgan S, Hill M, Roets F. (2021) The polyphagous shot hole borer beetle: Current status of a perfect invader in South Africa. South African Journal of Science 117(11/12)
10.17159/sajs.2021/9736
De Beer ZW, Fell S. (2021) The Threat of the Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer to Pecan Trees is perhaps less than initially expected. SA Pecan 90:29-31.
bit.ly/3kZpldC
Pyrri I, Visagie CM, Soccio P, Houbraken J. (2021) Re-Evaluation of the Taxonomy of Talaromyces minioluteus. Journal of Fungi 7:993.
10.3390/jof7110993
Chang R, Wingfield MJ, Marincowitz S, De Beer ZW, Zhou X, Duong TA. (2021) Ophiostomatoid fungi including a new species associated with Asian larch bark beetle Ips subelongatus, in Heilongjiang (Northeast China). Fungal Systematics and Evolution 8:155-161.
10.3114/fuse.2021.08.12
Si H-L, Zheng X-X, Li X-C, Su Y-M, Bose T, Chang R-L. (2021) Dlhawksworthia flavoparmeliae sp. nov., a new endolichenic fungus in Phaeosphaeriaceae. Phytotaxa 525(1):51-58.
10.11646/phytotaxa.525.1.6
Botha G, Fourie A, Hartley J, Van den Berg N, Fourie G. (2021) The impact of Rosellinia necatrix on South African macadamia orchards. SAMAC Journal :54-56.
Fourie A, Venter N, Slippers B, Fourie G. (2021) It takes "guts" to understand stink bugs. SAMAC Journal :33-37.
Maduke A, Slippers B, Van der Linde E, Wingfield MJ, Fourie G. (2021) Macadamia branch dieback and decline in South Africa. SAMAC Journal
Ranketse M, Hefer C, Pierneef R, Fourie G, Myburg Z. (2021) South African locally selected macadamia cultivars have a unique genetic identification profile compared to imported cultivars. SAMAC Journal
Smith AK, Hurley BP, Slippers B, Fourie G. (2021) Nut borers in South African macadamia orchards: the main culprit and research towards improving control. SAMAC Journal :57-58.
Sun BD, Visagie CM, Chen AJ, Houbraken J. (2021) A taxonomic review of Penicillium section Charlesia. Mycological Progress 20(11):1383–1397.
10.1007/s11557-021-01735-3
Zhang Y, Zhou Y, Sun W, Zhao L, Pavlic-Zupanc D, Crous PW, Slippers B, Dai Y. (2021) Toward a natural classification of Botryosphaeriaceae: A study of the type specimens of Botryosphaeria sensu lato. Frontiers in Microbiology 12:2938.
10.3389/fmicb.2021.737541
Swart Z, Duong T, Wingfield BD, Postma A, Slippers B. (2021) The relevance of studying insect–nematode interactions for human disease. Pathogens and Global Health
10.1080/20477724.2021.1996796
Liu LL, Wu WX, Chen SF. (2021) Species diversity and distribution characteristics of Calonectria in five soil layers in a Eucalyptus plantation. Journal of Fungi 7:857.
10.3390/jof7100857
Chang R-L, Zhang X, Hongli S, Zhao G, Yuan X, Liu T, Bose T, Dai M. (2021) Ophiostomatoid species associated with pine trees (Pinus spp.) infested by Cryphalus piceae from eastern China, including five new species. Mycokeys 83:181-208.
10.3897/mycokeys.83.70925
Duong AT, Aylward J, Ametrano CG, Poudel E, Santana QC, Wilken PM, Martin A, Arun-Chinnappa KS, De Vos L, DiStefano I, Grewe F, Huhndorf S, Lumbsch HT, Rakoma JR, Steenkamp ET, Sun Y, van der Nest MA, Wingfield MJ, Yilmaz N, Wingfield BD. (2021) Draft genome assembly of Fusarium pilosicola, Meredithiella fracta, Niebla homalea, Pyrenophora teres hybrid WAC10721, and Teratosphaeria viscida. IMA Fungus 12(1):30.
10.1186/s43008-021-00077-9
Séité S, Harrison MC, Sillam-Dussés D, Lupoli R, Van Dooren TJM, Robert A, Poissonnier L-A, Lemainque A, Renault D, Acket S, Andrieu M, Viscarra J, Sul HS, de Beer ZW, Bornberg-Bauer E, Vasseur-Cognet M. (2021) Lifespan prolonging mechanisms and insulin upregulation without fat accumulation in long-lived reproductives of a higher termite. bioRxiv PREPRINT
10.1101/2021.05.10.443390
Human ZR, Roets F, Crous CJ, Wingfield MJ, De Beer ZW, Venter SN. (2021) Fire impacts bacterial composition in Protea repens (Proteaceae) infructescences. FEMS Microbiology Letters
10.1093/femsle/fnab132
Wilson AM, Wilken PM, Wingfield MJ, Wingfield BD. (2021) Genetic networks that govern sexual reproduction in the Pezizomycotina. Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews 85(4):e00020-21.
10.1128/MMBR.00020-21.
NandaKafle G, Huegen T, Potgieter SC, Steenkamp ET, Venter SN, Brözel VS. (2021) Niche Preference of Escherichia coli in a Peri-Urban Pond Ecosystem. Life 11
10.3390/life11101020
Nagel JH, Wingfield MJ, Slippers B. (2021) Next-generation sequencing provides important insights into the biology and evolution of the Botryosphaeriaceae. Fungal Biology Reviews 38:25-43.
10.1016/j.fbr.2021.09.002
Liu FF, Duong TA, Barnes I, Wingfield MJ, Chen SF. (2021) Population diversity and genetic structure reveal patterns of host association and anthropogenic impact for the globally important fungal tree pathogen Ceratocystis manginecans. Journal of Fungi 7:759.
10.3390/jof7090759
Tsopelas P, Soulioti N, Wingfield MJ, Barnes I, Marincowitz S, Tjamos EC, Paplomatas EJ. (2021) Ceratocystis ficicola causing a serious disease of Ficus carica in Greece. Phytopathologia Mediterranea 60(2):337-349.
10.36253/phyto-12794
Read DA, Thompson GD, Swanevelder D, Pietersen G. (2021) Detection and diversity of grapevine virus L from a Vitis cultivar collection in Stellenbosch, South Africa. European Journal of Plant Pathology
10.1007/s10658-021-02380-y
Visagie CM, Goodwell M, Nkwe DO. (2021) Aspergillus diversity from the Gcwihaba Cave in Botswana and description of one new species. Fungal Systematics and Evolution 8:81-89.
10.3114/fuse.2021.08.07
Maphosa S and Moleleki LN. (2021) Isolation and Characterization of Outer Membrane Vesicles of Pectobacterium brasiliense 1692. Microorganisms 9:1-20.
10.3390/ microorganisms9091918
Si H-L, Su Y-M, Zheng X-X, Ding M-Y, Bose T, Chang R-L. (2021) Phylogenetic and morphological analyses of Coniochaeta isolates recovered from Inner Mongolia and Yunnan revealed three new endolichenic fungal species. Mycokeys 83:105-121.
10.3897/mycokeys.83.71140
Nel WJ, De Beer ZW, Wingfield MJ, Poulsen M, Aanen DK, Wingfield BD, Duong TA. (2021) Phylogenetic and phylogenomic analyses reveal two new genera and three new species of ophiostomatalean fungi from termite fungus combs. Mycologia 113(6):1199-1217.
10.1080/00275514.2021.1950455
Thabiso E Motaung, Emma T Steenkamp. (2021) Extracellular Vesicles in Teasing Apart Complex Plant-Microbiota Links: Implications for Microbiome-Based Biotechnology. mSystems 6(4):e00734-21.
10.1128/mSystems.00734-21.
Huang JB, Hammerbacher A, Gershenzon J, van Dam NM, Sala A, McDowell NG, Chowdhury S, Gleixner G, Trumbore S, Hartmann H. (2021) Storage of carbon reserves in Spruce trees is prioritized over growth in the face of carbon limitation. PNAS 118(33):e2023297118.
10.1073/pnas.2023297118
Van de Peppel LJJ, Nieuwenhuis M, Auxier B, Grum-Grzhimaylo AA, Cardenas ME, de Beer ZW, Lodge DJ, Smith ME, Kuyper TW, Franco-Molano AE, Baroni TJ, Aanen DK. (2021) Ancestral predisposition toward a domesticated lifestyle in the termite-cultivated fungus Termitomyces. Current Biology
10.1016/j.cub.2021.07.070
Jackson C, Christie N, Reynolds SM, Marais GC, Tii-kuzu Y, Caballero M, Kampman T, Visser EA, Naidoo S, Kain D, Whetten RW, Isik F, Wegrzyn J, Hodge GR, Acosta JJ, Myburg AA. (2021) A genome- wide SNP genotyping resource for tropical pine tree species. Molecular Ecology Resources
10.1111/1755-0998.13484
Phasha MM, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ, Coetzee MPA, Hammerbacher A, Steenkamp ET. (2021) Deciphering the effect of FUB1 disruption on fusaric acid production and pathogenicity in Fusarium circinatum. Fungal Biology
10.1016/j.funbio.2021.07.002
Nagel JH, Wingfield MJ, Slippers B. (2021) Increased abundance of secreted hydrolytic enzymes and secondary metabolite gene clusters define the genomes of latent plant pathogens in the Botryosphaeriaceae. BMC Genomics 22(1):589.
10.1186/s12864-021-07902-w
Ostafińska A, Jankowiak R, Bilański P, Solheim H, Wingfield MJ. (2021) Six new species of Sporothrix from hardwood trees in Poland. MycoKeys 82
10.3897/mycokeys.82.66603
Bouwer MC, Scheepers L, Slippers B, Rohwer ER, Allison JD. (2021) The Sex Pheromone of the Pine Brown-Tail Moth, Euproctis terminalis (Lepidoptera: Erebidae). Journal of Chemical Ecology 47(8)
10.1007/s10886-021-01301-x
Guignard Q, Spaethe J, Slippers B, Strube-Bloss M, Allison J. (2021) Evidence for UV-green dichromacy in the basal hymenopteran Sirex noctilio (Siricidae). Scientific Reports 11(1):15601.
10.1038/s41598-021-95107-2
Bennett PI, Tabima JF, Leon AL, Browning J, Wingfield MJ, LeBoldus JM. (2021) Spatial genetic structure of the insect-vectored conifer pathogen Leptographium wageneri suggest long distance gene flow among Douglas-fir plantations in western Oregon. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change 4:695981.
10.3389/ffgc.2021.695981
Creux NM, Brown EA, Garner AG, Saeed S, Scher CL, Holalu SV, Yang D, Maloof JN, Blackman BK, Harmer SL. (2021) Flower orientation influences floral temperature, pollinator visits and plant fitness. New Phytologist
10.1111/nph.17627
Jane Chepsergon, Thabiso E. Motaung, Lucy Novungayo Moleleki. (2021) “Core” RxLR effectors in phytopathogenic oomycetes: A promising way to breeding for durable resistance in plants?. Virulence 12(1):1921-1935.
10.1080/21505594.2021.1948277
Um S, Guo H, Thiengmag S, Benndorf R, Murphy R, Rischer M, Braga D, Poulsen M, De Beer ZW, Lackner G, Beemelmanns C. (2021) Comparative Genomic and Metabolic Analysis of Streptomyces sp. RB110 Morphotypes Illuminates Genomic Rearrangements and Formation of a New 46-Membered Antimicrobial Macrolide. ACS Chemical Biology 16(8):1482-1492.
10.1021/acschembio.1c00357
Read DA, Roberts R, Swanevelder D, Pietersen G, Thompson GD. (2021) Novel viruses associated with plants of the family Amaryllidaceae in South Africa. Archives of Virology
10.1007/s00705-021-05170-3
Dlamini PJ. (2021) Drought stress tolerance mechanisms and breeding effort in sugarcane: A review of progress and constraints in South Africa. Plant Stress 2
10.1016/j.stress.2021.100027
Joubert M, Backer R, Engelbrecht J, Van den Berg N. (2021) Expression of several Phytophthora cinnamomi putative RxLRs provides evidence for virulence roles in avocado. PLoS ONE 16(7):e0254645.
10.1371/journal.pone.0254645
Read DA, Roberts R, Thompson GD. (2021) Genomic characterization of two novel viruses infecting Barleria cristata L. from the genera Orthotospovirus and Polerovirus. Archives of Virology
10.1007/s00705-021-05150-7
Adamčíková K, Jánošíková Z, van der Nest A, Adamčík S, Ondrušková E, Barnes I. (2021) Population structure and genetic diversity suggest recent introductions of Dothistroma pini in Slovakia. Plant Pathology 70(8):1883-1896.
10.1111/ppa.13428
Aylward J, Havenga M, Dreyer LL, Roets F, Wingfield BD, Pérez CA, Ramírez-Berrutti N, Carnegie AJ, Wingfield MJ. (2021) Genetic diversity of Teratosphaeria pseudoeucalypti in Eucalyptus plantations in Australia and Uruguay. Australasian Plant Pathology 50:639–649.
10.1007/s13313-021-00800-5
Wilson AM, Lelwala RV, Taylor PWJ, Wingfield MJ, Wingfield BD. (2021) Unique patterns of mating pheromone presence and absence could result in the ambiguous sexual behaviors of Colletotrichum species. G3 Gene|Genomes|Genetics :jkab187.
10.1093/g3journal/jkab187
Schalk F, Gostinčar C, Kreuzenbeck NB, Conlon BH, Sommerwerk E, Rabe P, Burkhardt I, Krüger T, Kniemeyer O, Brakhage AA, Gunde-Cimerman N, de Beer ZW, Dickschat JS, Poulsen M, Beemelmanns C. (2021) The termite fungal cultivar Termitomyces combines diverse enzymes and oxidative reactions for plant biomass conversion. mBio 12:e03551-20.
10.1101/2021.01.13.426627
Bose Tanay, Hulbert JM, Burgess Treena I, Paap T, Roets F, Wingfield MJ. (2021) Two novel Phytophthora species from the southern tip of Africa. 20:755-767.
10.1007/s11557-021-01702-y
Linnakoski R, Lasarov I, Veteli P, Tikkanen O-P, Viiri H, Jyske T, Kasanen R, Duong TA, Wingfield MJ. (2021) Filamentous fungi and yeasts associated with mites phoretic on Ips typographus in Eastern Finland. Forests 12(6):743.
10.3390/f12060743
Conlon BH, Gostinčar C, Fricke J, Kreuzenbeck NB, Daniel JM, Schlosser MSL, Peereboom N, Aanen DK, De Beer ZW, Beemelmanns C, Gunde-Cimerman N, Poulsen M. (2021) Genome reduction and relaxed selection is associated with the transition to symbiosis in the basidiomycete genus Podaxis. iScience 24(6):102680.
10.1016/j.isci.2021.102680
Visagie CM, Frisvad JC, Houbraken J, Visagie A, Samson RA, Jacobs K. (2021) A re-evaluation of Penicillium section Canescentia, including the description of five new species. Persoonia 46:163-187.
10.3767/persoonia.2021.46.06
Fraser S, McTaggart AR, Roux J, Wingfield MJ. (2021) Hyperparasitism by Sphaerellopsis macroconidialis may lower over-wintering survival of Uromycladium acaciae. Forest Pathology
10.1111/efp.12691
Crous PW, Hernández-Restrepo M, Schumacher RK, Cowan DA, Maggs-Kölling G, Marais E, Wingfield MJ, Yilmaz N, Adan OCG, Akulov A, Álvarez Duarte E, Berraf-Tebbal A, Bulgakov TS, Carnegie AJ, de Beer ZW, Decock C, Dijksterhuis C, Duong TA, Eichmeier A, Hien LT, Houbraken JAMP, Khanh TN, Liem NV, Lombard L, Lutzoni FM, Miadlikowska JM, Nel WJ, Pascoe IG, Roets F, Roux J, Samson RA, Shen M, Spetik M, Thangavel R, Thanh HM, Thao LD, van Nieuwenhuijzen EJ, Zhang JQ, Zhang Y, Zhao LL, Groenewald JZ. (2021) New and Interesting Fungi. 4. Fungal Systematics and Evolution 7:255-343.
10.3114/fuse.2021.07.13
Engelbrecht J, Duong TA, Prabhu AS, Seedat M, van den Berg N. (2021) Genome of the destructive oomycete Phytophthora cinnamomi provides insights into its pathogenicity and adaptive potential. BMC Genomics 22:302.
10.1186/s12864-021-07552-y
Collins Kipngetich Tanui, Divine Yutefar Shyntum, Precious K. Sedibane, Daniel Bellieny-Rabelo, Lucy N. Moleleki. (2021) Pectobacterium brasiliense 1692 chemotactic responses and the role of methyl-accepting chemotactic proteins in ecological fitness. 12
10.3389/fpls.2021.650894
Wondafrash M, Wingfield MJ, Wilson JRU, Hurley BP, Slippers B, Paap T. (2021) Botanical gardens as key resources and hazards for biosecurity. Biodiversity and Conservation
10.1007/s10531-021-02180-0
Lane FA, Du Plessis D, Wingfield BD, Wilken PM. (2021) Transferring an Agrobacterium‐mediated transformation protocol across eight genera in the Ceratocystidaceae. Forest Pathology e12688
10.1111/efp.12688
Aglietti C, Meinecke CD, Ghelardini L, Barnes I, van der Nest A, Villari C. (2021) Rapid detection of pine pathogens Lecanosticta acicola, Dothistroma pini and D. septosporum on needles by probe-based LAMP assays. Forests 12(4):479.
10.3390/f12040479
Lynn KMT, Wingfield MJ, Durán A, Oliveira LSS, de Beer ZW, Barnes I. (2021) Novel Fusarium mutualists of two Euwallacea species infesting Acacia crassicarpa in Indonesia. Mycologia 113(3):536-558.
10.1080/00275514.2021.1875708
Gwizdala M, Lebre PH, Maggs-Kölling G, Marais E, Cowan DA, Krüger TPJ. (2021) Sub-lithic photosynthesis in hot desert habitats. Environmental Microbiology
10.1111/1462-2920.15505
Sinotte VM, Conlon BH, Seibel E, Schwitalla JW, de Beer ZW, Poulsen M, Bos N. (2021) Female-biased sex allocation and lack of inbreeding avoidance in Cubitermes termites. Ecology and Evolution 11(10):5598-5605.
10.1002/ece3.7462
Yilmaz N, Sandoval-Denis M, Lombard L, Visagie CM, Wingfield BD, Crous PW. (2021) Redefining species limits in the Fusarium fujikuroi species complex. Persoonia 46:129-162.
10.3767/persoonia.2021.46.05
Jamison-Daniels SL, Kissling WD, Botha M, Harris MA, Gordon CE, Greve M. (2021) The role of deterministic succession during forest development within a southern African savanna. bioTropica 53(2):466-476.
10.1111/btp.12890
Nel WJ, Wingfield MJ, De Beer ZW, Duong TA. (2021) Ophiostomatalean fungi associated with wood boring beetles in South Africa including two new species. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 114(6):667-686.
10.1007/s10482-021-01548-0
van der Nest MA, Chávez R, De Vos L, Duong TA, Gil-Durán C, Ferreira MA, Lane FA, Levicán G, Santana QC, Steenkamp ET, Suzuki H, Tello M, Rakoma JR, Vaca I, Valdés N, Wilken PM, Wingfield MJ, Wingfield BD. (2021) Draft genome sequences of Penicillium roqueforti, Fusarium sororula, Chrysoporthe puriensis, and Chalaropsis populi. IMA Fungus 12:5.
10.1186/s43008-021-00055-1
Murphy R, Benndorf R, de Beer ZW, Vollmers J, Kaster AK, Beemelmanns C, Poulsen M. (2021) Comparative Genomics Reveals Prophylactic and Catabolic Capabilities of Actinobacteria within the Fungus-Farming Termite Symbiosis. mSphere 6(2):e01233-20.
10.1128/mSphere.01233-20
Phasha MM, Wingfield MJ, Wingfield BD, Coetzee MPA, Hallen-Adams H, Fru F, Swalarsk-Parry BS, Yilmaz N, Duong TA, Steenkamp ET. (2021) Ras2 is important for growth and pathogenicity in Fusarium circinatum. 150:103541.
10.1016/j.fgb.2021.103541
De Wit MP, Crookes DJ, Blignaut JN, de Beer ZW, Paap T, Roets F, Van der Merwe C, Richardson DM. (2021) Invasion of the Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer Beetle in South Africa: A preliminary assessment of the economic impacts. Biological Invasions PREPRINT
10.21203/rs.3.rs-220132/v1
Migliorini D, Messal M, Santini A, Ramos AP, Talhinhas P, Wingfield MJ, Burgess T. (2021) Metabarcoding reveals southern hemisphere fungal endophytes within wood of cultivated Proteaceae in Portugal. European Journal of Plant Pathology
10.1007/s10658-021-02233-8
Balocchi F, Wingfield MJ, Ahumada R, Barnes I. (2021) Pewenomyces kutranfy gen nov. et sp. nov. causal agent of an important canker disease on Araucaria araucana in Chile. Plant Pathology 70(5):1243-1259.
10.1111/ppa.13353
Mullett MS, Drenkhan R, Adamson K, Boroń P, Lenart-Boroń A, Barnes I, Tomšovský M, Jánošíková Z, Adamčíková K, Ondrušková E, Queloz V, Piškur B, Musolin DL, Davydenko K, Georgieva M, Schmitz S, Kačergius A, Ghelardini L, Kranjec Orlović J, Müller M, Oskay F, Hauptman T, Halász Á, Markovskaja S, Solheim H, Vuorinen M, Heinzelmann R, Hamelin RC, Konečný A. (2021) Worldwide genetic structure elucidates the Eurasian origin and invasion pathways of Dothistroma septosporum, causal agent of Dothistroma Needle Blight. Journal of Fungi 7:111.
10.3390/jof7020111
van Wyk S, Wingfield B, De Vos L, van der Merwe A, Steenkamp E. (2021) Genome-Wide Analyses of Repeat-Induced Point Mutations in the Ascomycota. Frontiers in Microbiology 11(Article 622368):1-17.
10.3389/fmicb.2020.622368
Nsibo DL, Barnes I, Omondi DO, Dida MM, Berger DK. (2021) Population genetic structure and migration patterns of the maize pathogenic fungus, Cercospora zeina in East and Southern Africa. Fungal Genetics and Biology 149(103527)
10.1016/j.fgb.2021.103527
Van der Nest M, Hlongwane N, Hadebe K, Chan W, Van der Merwe N, De Vos L, Greyling B, Kooverjee B, Soma P, Dzomba E, Bradfield M, Muchadeyi F. (2021) Breed ancestry, divergence, admixture, and selection patterns of the Simbra crossbreed. Frontiers in Genetics 11:1796.
10.3389/fgene.2020.608650
Pham NQ, Marincowitz S, Solís M, Duong TA, Wingfield BD, Barnes I, Slippers B, Muro Abad JI, Durán A, Wingfield MJ. (2021) Eucalyptus scab and shoot malformation: A new and serious foliar disease of Eucalyptus caused by Elsinoe necatrix sp. nov.. Plant Pathology 70:1230-1242.
10.1111/ppa.13348
Sukhorukov AP, Kushunina M, Reinhardt CF, Bezuidenhout H, Vorster BJ. (2021) First records of Amaranthus palmeri, a new emerging weed in southern Africa with further notes on other poorly known alien amaranths in the continent . BioInvasion Records 10(1):1-9.
10.3391/bir.2021.10.1.01
Fraser S, McTaggart AR, Roux J, Nel J, Potgieter J, Shuey L, Somchat C, Wingfield MJ. (2021) The life cycle and field epidemiology of Uromycladium acaciae (Pucciniales) on Acacia mearnsii in South Africa. Annals of Applied Biology
10.1111/aab.12677
Wu WX, Chen SF. (2021) Species diversity, mating strategy, and pathogenicity of Calonectria species from diseased leaves and soils in the Eucalyptus plantation in southern China. Journal of Fungi 7
10.3390/jof7020073
Soares AM, Toome-Heller M, Smith ME, Sandoval-Denis M, Hyde KD, Larsson K-H, Hansen K, Runnel K, Pärtel K, Wijayawardene NN, Menolli N, Corrales A, Tokarev Y, Davis W, Læssøe T, Gibertoni TB, Maharachchikumbura SSN, Drenkhan R, Reynolds NK, Põldmaa K, Pawlowska J, Liu J-K, Lindahl BD, Clemmensen KE, Kauserud H, Nguyen N, Kjøller R, Bates ST, Baldrian P, Adojaan K, Frøslev TG, Nordén J, Madrid H, Järv H, Baral H-O, Pfister D, Suija A, Vizzini A, Põlme S, Abarenkov K, Henrik Nilsson R. (2021) FungalTraits: a user-friendly traits database of fungi and fungus-like stramenopiles. Fungal Diversity
10.1007/s13225-020-00466-2
Wilson AM, Gabriel R, Singer SW, Schuerg T, Wilken PM, van der Nest MA, Wingfield MJ, Wingfield BD. (2021) Doing it alone: Unisexual reproduction in filamentous ascomycete fungi. Fungal Biology Reviews 35:1-13.
10.1016/j.fbr.2020.12.003
Beukes CW, Venter SN, Steenkamp ET. (2021) The history and distribution of nodulating Paraburkholderia, a potential inoculum for Fynbos forage species. Grass and Forage Science 76:10-32.
10.1111/gfs.12522
Krämer D, Lane FA, Steenkamp ET, Wingfield BD, Wilken PM. (2021) Unidirectional mating-type switching confers self-fertility to Thielaviopsis cerberus, the only homothallic species in the genus. Fungal Biology
10.1016/j.funbio.2020.12.007
Capron A, Feau N, Heinzelmann R, Barnes I, Benowicz A, Bradshaw RE, Dale A, Lewis KJ, Owen TJ, Reich R, Ramsfield TD, Woods AJ, Hamelin RC. (2021) Signatures of post-glacial genetic isolation and human-driven migration in the Dothistroma needle blight pathogen in western Canada. Phytopathology 111:116-127.
10.1094/PHYTO-08-20-0350-FI
Mesanza N, Raposo R, Elvira‐Recuenco M, Barnes I, van der Nest A, Hernández M, Pascual MT, Barrena I, Martín US, Cantero A, Hernandez‐Escribano L, Iturritxa E. (2021) New hosts for Lecanosticta acicola and Dothistroma septosporum in newly established arboreta in Spain. Forest Pathology 51:e12650
10.1111/efp.12650
Soewarto J, Somchit C, du Plessis E, Barnes I, Granados GM, Wingfield MJ, Shuey L, Bartlett M, Fraser S, Scott P, Miller E, Waipara N, Sutherland R, Ganley B. (2021) Susceptibility of native New Zealand Myrtaceae to the South African strain of Austropuccinia psidii: A biosecurity threat. Plant Pathology 70:667-675.
10.1111/ppa.13321
Li JQ, Barnes I, Liu FF, Wingfield MJ, Chen SF. (2021) Global genetic diversity and mating type distribution of Calonectria pauciramosa: an important wide host-range plant pathogen. Plant Disease
10.1094/PDIS-05-20-1050-RE
Twiddy D, Fell S, de Beer ZW, Fourie G. (2021) Screening for susceptibility of Macadamia to E. fornicatus and its fungal symbiont Fusarium euwallaceae. Plant Disease 105(4):739-742.
10.1094/PDIS-07-20-1555-SC
Bose T, Wingfield MJ, Roux J, Vivas M, Burgess TI. (2021) Phytophthora species associated with roots of native and non-native trees in natural and managed forests. Microbial Ecology
10.1007/s00248-020-01563-0
Chen J, Ullah C, Vassao D, Reichelt M, Gershenzon J, Hammerbacher A. (2021) Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Infection Triggers Changes in Primary and Secondary Metabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana. Phytopathology 111(3):559-569.
Crous PW, Lombard L, Sandoval-Denis M, Seifert KA, Schroers HJ, Chaverri P, Neriman Yilmaz, Visagie CM. (2021) Fusarium: more than a node or a foot-shaped basal cell. Studies In Mycology 98:100116.
10.1016/j.simyco.2021.100116
Havenga M, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ, Marincowitz S, Dreyer LL, Roets F, Japarudin Y, Aylward J. (2021) Genetic recombination in Teratosphaeria destructans causing a new disease outbreak in Malaysia. Forest Pathology 51(3):e12683.
10.1111/efp.12683
Vacant positions
One-year internships in Phytosanitation and Biosecurity
The FABI Internship Programme in Phytosanitation and Biosecurity, is designed to expand the depth and breadth of the interns’ previous academic learning in the plant health domain. The Programme draws from the expertise of multiple stakeholders and the training is coordinated with the needs of relevant industries, organizations and government. Our vision is that this Programme prepares interns for careers in the forestry and agricultural sectors. Interns will be trained to provide technical support to improve the updating of outdated import requirements; assist with a higher turnover of completed pest risk information packages and pest risk assessments, as well as to contribute to pest and disease diagnostic and extension, surveillance and biological control programs.
Applications are now open for the appointment of interns, starting 1 February 2022. The closing date for applications is 22 November 2021.
Click here fore more information and how to apply.
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