FABI News
13 Apr 2021
Brett Hurley appointed as ICFR Research Associate
8 Apr 2021
Engaging small holder farmers to use digital disease diagnostic support tools
FABI has partnered with Grain SA and Social Coding to engage smallholder farmers to connect with the Institute’s diagnostic clinic via its digital platform.
6 Apr 2021
FABI bids Fahimeh farewell
A small group of FABIans attended a farewell function for Dr Fahimeh Jami who leaves the Institute after 14 years to join the Agricultural Research Council (ARC).
2 Apr 2021
Discovering biologically-active fungal metabolites from unexplored species
The March guest presenter of the FABI International Seminar Series was the world-renown Prof. Marc Stadler who present on his research activities linked to the discovery of biologically active fungal metabolites from new and hitherto unexplored species.
1 Apr 2021
Partnership to bring big data techniques to Africa’s agriculture and forestry sectors
Advance.io is partnering with Innovation Africa @UP to bring artificial intelligence and big data techniques to the continent’s agricultural and forestry sectors.
FABI in a nutshell
Research Features
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
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
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
10.1002/ece3.7462
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
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
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
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 (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
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
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. bioRxiv
10.1101/2021.01.13.426627
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 :2021.01.13.4266.
10.1101/2021.01.13.426627
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
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
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 :e12683.
10.1111/efp.12683
Linnakoski R, Sutela S, Coetzee MPA, Duong TA, Pavlov IN, Litovka YA, Hantula J, Wingfield BD, Vainio EJ. (2021) Armillaria root rot fungi host single-stranded RNA viruses. 11:7336.
10.1038/s41598-021-86343-7
Van den Berg N, Swart V, Backer R, Fick A, Wienk R, Engelbrecht J, Prabhu S. (2021) Advances in understanding defense mechanisms in Persea americana against Phytophthora cinnamomi. Frontiers in Plant Science 12:123.
10.3389/fpls.2021.636339
Guignard Q, Bouwer M, Slippers B, Allison J. (2020) Biology of a putative male aggregation-sex pheromone in Sirex noctilio (Hymenoptera: Siricidae). 15(12):e0244943.
10.1371/journal.pone.0244943
Roux J, Nkuekan GK, Marincowitz S, van der Merwe NA, Uchida J, Wingfield MJ, Chen SF. (2020) Chryphonectriaceae associated with rust-infected Syzigium jambos in Hawaii.. MycoKeys 76:49-79.
10.3897/mycokeys.76.58406
Zamora-Ballesteros C, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ, Martín-García J, Diez JJ. (2020) Residual effects caused by a past mycovirus infection in Fusarium circinatum. Forests 12(11)
10.3390/f12010011
Coetzee MPA, Santana QC, Steenkamp ET, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ. (2020) Fungal genomes enhance our understanding of the pathogens affecting trees cultivated in Southern Hemisphere plantations. Southern Forests: a Journal of Forest Science 82(3)
10.2989/20702620.2020.1819153
Herron DA, Wingfield MJ, Fru F, Wingfield BD, Steenkamp ET. (2020) Grasses as a refuge for Fusarium circinatum L. – evidence from South Africa. Southern Forests: a Journal of Forest Science 82(3):253-262.
10.2989/20702620.2020.1813649
Bush SJ, Slippers B, Hurley BP. (2020) Eucalypt susceptibility towards the invasive Glycaspis brimblecombei Moore (Hemiptera: Aphalaridae) in South Africa. Southern Forests 82:243-252.
10.2989/20702620.2020.1824556
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. (2020) Signatures of post-glacial genetic isolation and human-driven migration in the Dothistroma needle blight pathogen in western Canada. Phytopathology :116-127.
10.1094/PHYTO-08-20-0350-FI
Makunde PT, Slippers B, Burckhardt D, de Queiroz DL, Lawson SA, Hurley BP. (2020) Current and potential threat of psyllids (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) on eucalypts. Southern Forests 82:233-242.
10.2989/20702620.2020.1813650
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. (2020) New hosts for Lecanosticta acicola and Dothistroma septosporum in newly established arboreta in Spain. Forest Pathology 00:e12650
10.1111/efp.12650
Mushonga K, Steyn JM, Swart WJ, van der Waals JE. (2020) Plant-soil feedback responses of four dryland crop species under greenhouse conditions. Plant-Environment Interactions
10.1002/pei3.10035
Krivak-Tetley FE, Lantschner MV, Lombardero MJ, Garnas JR, Hurley BP, Villacide JM, Slippers B, Corley J, Liebhold AM, Ayers MP. (2020) Aggressive tree killer or natural thinning agent? Assessing the impacts of a globally important forest insect. Forest Ecology and Management
10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118728
Teshome DT, Zharare GE, Naidoo S. (2020) The threat of the combined effect of biotic and abiotic stress factors in forestry under a changing climate. Frontiers in Plant Science
10.3389/fpls.2020.601009
Aveling TAS, De Ridder K, Olivier NA, Berger DK. (2020) Seasonal variation in mycoflora associated with asymptomatic maize grain from small-holder farms in two provinces of South Africa. Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics (JARTS) 121(2):265-275.
10.17170/kobra-202011262275
Berger DK, Mokgobu T, De Ridder K, Christie N, Aveling TAS. (2020) Benefits of maize resistance breeding and chemical control against northern leaf blight in smallholder farms in South Africa. South African Journal of Science 12(11)
10.17159/sajs.2020/8286
Paap T, Wingfield MJ, de Beer ZW, Roets F. (2020) Lessons from a major pest invasion: The polyphagous shot hole borer in South Africa. South African Journal of Science 116(11/12)
10.17159/sajs.2020/8757
Slippers B. (2020) The Plant Disease Pyramid: The relevance of the original vision of plant pathology in 2020. South Africa Journal of Science 116(11/12)
10.17159/sajs.2020/9011
Wingfield MJ, Hurley BP, Wingfield BD, Slippers B. (2020) Tree health in South Africa: Retrospect and prospect. South Africa Journal of Science 116(11/12)
10.17159/sajs.2020/8038
van der Waals JE, Kruger K. (2020) Emerging potato pathogens affecting food security in southern Africa: Recent research. South African Journal of Science 116(11/12)
10.17159/
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. (2020) Susceptibility of native New Zealand Myrtaceae to the South African strain of Austropuccinia psidii: A biosecurity threat. Plant Pathology :1-9.
10.1111/ppa.13321
Oates C, Denby K, Myburg A, Slippers B, Naidoo S. (2020) Insect egg‐induced physiological changes and transcriptional reprogramming leading to gall formation. Plant, Cell & Environment
10.1111/pce.13930
Slippers B, Hurley BP, Allison JD. (2020) Harnessing the potential of Precision Pest Management in plantation forests. Southern Forests
10.2989/20702620.2020.1813651
Noeth KP, Verleur PM, Bouwer MC, Crous JW, Roux J, Hurley BP, Slippers B. (2020) Mass trapping of Coryphodema tristis (Lepidoptera: Cossidae) using a sex pheromone in Eucalyptus nitens compartments in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Southern Forests
10.2989/20702620.2020.1813648
Geiser DM, Al-Hatmi A, Aoki T, Arie T, Balmas V, Barnes I, Bergstrom GC, Bhattacharyya MKK, Blomquist CL, Bowden R, Brankovics B, Brown DW, Burgess LW, Bushley K, Busman M, Cano-Lira JF, Carrillo JD, Chang HX, Chen CY, Chen W, Chilvers MI, Chulze SN, Coleman JJ, Cuomo CA, de Beer ZW, de Hoog GS, Del Castillo-Múnera J, Del Ponte E, Diéguez-Uribeondo J, Di Pietro A, Edel-Hermann V, Elmer WH, Epstein L, Eskalen A, Esposto MC, Everts KL, Fernández-Pavía SP, da Silva GF, Foroud NA, Fourie G, Frandsen RJN, Freeman S, Freitag M, Frenkel O, Fuller KK, Gagkaeva T, Gardiner DM, Glenn AE, Gold S, Gordon T, Gregory NF, Gryzenhout M, Guarro J, Gugino B, Gutiérrez S, Hammond-Kosack K, Harris LJ, Homa M, Hong CF, Hornok L, Huang JW, Ilkit M, Jacobs A, Jacobs K, Jiang C, Jimenez-Gasco MDM, Kang S, Kasson MT, Kazan K, Kennell JC, Kim H, Kistler HC, Kuldau GA, Kulik T, Kurzai O, Laraba I, Laurence MH, Lee TY, Lee YW, Lee YH, Leslie JF, Liew ECY, Lofton LW, Logrieco A, Sánchez López-Berges M, Luque AG, Lysøe E, Ma LJ, Marra RE, Martin FN, May SR, McCormick S, McGee CT, Meis JF, Migheli Q, Mohamed Nor NMI, Monod M, Moretti A, Mostert D, Mulé G, Munaut F, Munkvold GP, Nicholson P, Nucci M, O'Donnell K, Pasquali M, Pfenning LH, Prigitano A, Proctor R, Ranque S, Rehner S, Rep M, Rodríguez-Alvarado G, Rose LJ, Roth MG, Ruiz-Roldán C, Saleh AA, Salleh B, Sang H, Scandiani M, Scauflaire J, Schmale D 3, Short DP, Šišić A, Smith J, Smyth CW, Son H, Spahr E, Stajich JE, Steenkamp E, Steinberg C, Subramaniam R, Suga H, Summerell BA, Susca A, Swett CL, Toomajian C, Torres-Cruz TJ, Tortorano AM, Urban M, Vaillancourt LJ, Vallad GE, van der Lee T, Vanderpool D, van Diepeningen AD, Vaughan M, Venter E, Vermeulen M, Verweij PE, Viljoen A, Waalwijk C, Wallace EC, Walther G, Wang J, Ward T, Wickes B, Wiederhold NP, Wingfield MJ, Wood AKM, Xu JR, Yang XB, Yli-Matilla T, Yun SH, Zakaria L, Zhang H, Zhang N, Zhang S, Zhang X. (2020) Phylogenomic analysis of a 55.1 kb 19-gene dataset resolves a monophyletic Fusarium that includes the Fusarium solani Species Complex. Phytopathology
10.1094/PHYTO-08-20-0330-LE
Li JQ, Barnes I, Liu FF, Wingfield MJ, Chen SF. (2020) 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
Burgess TI, López-Villamor A, Paap T, Williams B, Belhaj R, Crone M, Dunstan W, Howard K, Hardy GEStJ. (2020) Towards a best practice methodology for the detection of Phytophthora species in soils. Plant Pathology
10.1111/ppa.13312
Motaung TE, Peremore C, Wingfield BD, Steenkamp ET. (2020) Plant-associated fungal biofilms – knowns and unknowns. FEMS Microbiology Ecology
10.1093/femsec/fiaa224
Garnas JR, Vann KE, Hurley BP. (2020) Biotic and abiotic effects on density, body size, sex ratio, and survival in immature stages of the European woodwasp, Sirex noctilio. Ecology and Evolution
10.1002/ece3.6966
Mufamadi Z, Fourie G, Willis-Boyum A, van den Berg N. (2020) Husk rot disease: causal agents and disease epidemiology. SAMAC Journal
Pal E, Hurley BP, Slippers B, Fourie G. (2020) Progress towards characterisation of pheromones of Bathycoelia distincta. SAMAC Journal
Smith A, Hurley BP, Slippers B, Fourie G. (2020) Life stage characterisation of Thaumatotibia batrachopa on an artificial diet. SAMAC Journal
Twiddy D, de Beer ZW, Fourie G. (2020) The PSHB and its potential impact on the South African macadamia Industry. SAMAC Journal
Oliveira MES, van der Merwe NA, Wingfield MJ, Wingfield BD, Soares TPF, Kanzi AM, Ferreira MA. (2020) Chrysoporthe puriensis sp. nov. from Tibouchina spp. in Brazil: an emerging threat to Eucalyptus. Australasian Plant Pathology
10.1007/s13313-020-00745-1
Mavima L, Beukes CW, Palmer M, De Meyer SE, James EK, Maluk M, Gross E, dos Reis Junior FB, Avontuur JR, Chan WY, Venter SN, Steenkamp ET. (2020) Paraburkholderia youngii sp. nov. and 'Paraburkholderia atlantica' - Brazilian and Mexican Mimosa-associated rhizobia that were previously known as Paraburkholderia tuberum sv. mimosae. Systematic and Applied Microbiology
10.1016/j.syapm.2020.126152
Havenga M, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ, Dreyer LL, Roets F, Aylward J. (2020) Diagnostic markers for Teratosphaeria destructans and closely related species. Forest Pathology 50(6):e12645.
10.1111/efp.12645
Twiddy D, Fell S, de Beer ZW, Fourie G. (2020) Screening for susceptibility of Macadamia to E. fornicatus and its fungal symbiont Fusarium euwallaceae. Plant Disease
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Vacant positions
RNAi Postdoctoral Fellowship 2021-2022
The Molecular Plant-Pathogen Interactions (MPPI) research group led by Prof. Dave Berger is affiliated with the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI) and the Department of Plant & Soil Sciences at the University of Pretoria, South Africa.
The MPPI research group has an on-going research project on grey leaf spot (GLS) disease of maize caused by the fungal pathogen Cercospora zeina. GLS is a threat to food security in sub-Saharan Africa.
A Postdoctoral Fellowship to investigate RNAi in C. zeina is available from May 2021. Applications should be addressed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Click here for more information and how to apply.
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