FABI has a long tradition of celebrating the first publications by students in the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Plant Health Biotechnology (CPHB) and the Tree Protection Co-operative Programme (TPCP) research groups. On 14 March the group gathered to recognise first publications in a peer-reviewed journal by one MSc student and three PhD candidates: WenWen Li, Deborah Narh-Mensah, Rachel Mkandawire and Byron Sonnekus (who has since started his PhD).  FABI Director Prof. Bernard Slippers congratulated them all on an important achievement in any young researcher’s career and also noted that these publications communicate their research to the international scientific community.

Pubications:

Li W.W., S.F. Chen, M.J. Wingfield, T.A. Duong. 2022. Calonectria queenslandica: Causal agent of Eucalyptus leaf blight in Southern China. Plant Disease. 10.1094/PDIS-01-22-0196-RE

Mkandawire RI, Yilmaz N, Steenkamp ET, Kvas M, Wingfield MJ, Fourie G. (2022) Diversity of Fusarium species associated with healthy and malformed Syzygium cordatum inflorescences in South Africa. European Journal of Plant Pathology. 10.1007/s10658-021-02447-w

Narh Mensah D, Wingfield B, Coetzee MPA. (2022) Nonribosomal peptide synthetase gene clusters and characteristics of predicted NRPS-dependent siderophore synthetases in Armillaria and other species in the Physalacriaceae. Current Genetics. 10.1007/s00294-022-01256-w

Sonnekus B, Slippers B, Hurley B, Joubert E, Stiller M, Fourie G. (2022) Diversity and molecular barcoding of stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) associated with Macadamia in South Africa. Insects 13(7). 10.3390/insects13070601