More than 20 members of the Forest Molecular Genetics (FMG) programme in FABI had a front-row seat to the latest research and technological advances across a variety of plant biology disciplines attending this year’s ASPB Plant Biology Worldwide Summit 2021.
FABI was shocked and deeply saddened at the passing of Valentina Nkosi on 23 July.
As part of the public outreach for the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH 2020), Prof. Plant health Your browser does not support the audio element. Crop nutrition Your browser does not support the audio element.
On Thursday 22 July Prof. Mike Wingfield, founding Director of FABI was joined by colleagues to undertake a suite of inoculations aimed at understanding the role of a number of tree pathogens of importance to various FABI projects.
FABI celebrated the successful completion of Mmatshepho Phasha’s PhD degree on 12 July making it an all-woman PhD record since the start of the year for the Institute.
Congratulations to Wilma Nel on completing all requirements for her PhD on 13 July.
FABI and Innovation Africa @UP are partnering with Engineering 4.
Dr Steven Hussey was one of three international researchers to present their work in an online symposium, “Hort Dialogues”, on 15 July.
Construction of an artificial diet room has started at the FABI Biocontrol Centre at Innovation Africa.
From 28 June until 1 July, academic staff, postdoctoral Fellows and students from FABI attended the 22nd Biennial Entomological Society of Southern Africa (ESSA) Congress.
FABI celebrated the completion of Josephine Queffelec’s PhD with her Prestige Seminar “Influence of reproductive biology on the invasive dynamics of Sirex noctilio” on 30 June.
FABI and the Southern African Society of Systematic Biology (SASSB) jointly hosted a webinar with the theme ‘Fungal evolution’ on 1 July.
Two FABI PhD candidates were recognized for research excellence by the Southern African Institute of Forestry (SAIF).
FABI’s popular online Quiz Night had 12 teams battling for honours once again on 25 July.
Professor Brenda Wingfield has created a podcast on Mycoviruses.
FABI recently hosted a visit by five representatives of the South African Kiwi Growers Association.
FABI researchers participated in the NSTF-hosted two-day Plant Health Discussion Forum webinar.
FABI is hosting a new monthly webinar series on behalf of the SASSB to enable sharing of systematic research and to offer researchers an online space for discussion about their systematic biology research, thoughts, and questions.
In April 2021, FABIans met with staff members of the Department of Horticulture at Durban University of Technology (DUT) to discuss possibilities for student training through the Sentinel Plant Project.
FABI tree health researchers were recently alerted to a concerning die-back affecting Araucaria trees in Stellenbosch.
Iconic tree ferns Alsophila (Cyathea) dregii have been observed dying in southern Cape forests for some years.
During 2020, FABI initiated a research project focused on the fungi associated with bark beetles infesting, especially the Clanwilliam Cedar Widdringtonia (cedarbergensis) wallichii.
Leading chemical ecologist, Prof. Jonathan Gershenzon, of the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology was the guest speaker at the May FABI International Seminar Series.
During the second week of May a group of FABI researchers joined Stellenbosch University colleagues to inspect silver tree (Leucodendron argenteum) research being conducted in Kirstenbosch.
FABI tree health researchers have recently been requested to inspect relatively large numbers of milkwood (Sideroxylon inerme) trees that have been dying in the Hermanus area of the Western Cape.
FABI was well represented at the 21st Biennial Conference of the South African Society of Microbiology (SASM) took place virtually between 4-6 May.
Members of the Applied Mycology research group at FABI embarked on a day trip to the Southern African Grain Laboratory (SAGL) in Pretoria on Thursday 20 May.
On 6 May, members of the Applied Mycology group within the bigger Grain Research Program at FABI, visited the Bayer Crop Science experimental farm in Petit, Gauteng.
To celebrate the International Year of Plant Health 2020 and the role plants play in our lives, the South African National Seed Organization (SANSOR) organised a photo competition for professionals and amateurs alike.
The Macadamia Protection Programme’s (MPP) ‘Mad-Macs’ team went on another field trip, this time to the KwaZulu-Natal south coast!
The 32nd Annual Symposium of the Tree Protection Co-operative Programme (TPCP) and DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Plant Health Biotechnology (CPHB) in FABI was hosted as a six-hour long hybrid meeting on 4 May.
Drs. Mesfin Gossa and Trudy Paap initiated a link with the Department of Horticulture at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) to discuss possibilities of student training via the Sentinel Plant Project.
FABI Field extension officer Shawn Fell, joined by PhD candidate Josephine Queffelec and field extension intern Jabulile Mahlangu travelled to Somerset West during the week of 26 April.
On Thursday 29 April, a small group of FABIans gathered to say an emotional farewell FABI stalwart and PhD candidate Darryl Herron who leaves the Institute after 14 years to take up a research position at Scion in New Zealand.
FABI was proud to host it’s monthly International Seminar on 29 April with more than 200 participants from across the globe, all keen to hear US Forest Services’ Dr Andrew “Sandy” Liebhold speak on the “Macroecology of insect invasions”.
Two more candidates joined the FABI Internship programme on 1 April.