FABI’s International Seminar Series resumes focussing on the impact mycotoxins on human health
ABI’s very successful and popular International Seminar Series that was established early in 2020 hosted its first seminar for 2021 on 28 January.
29 Jan 2021
28 Jan 2021
Khumbhuzile Bophela presents the first FABI Prestige Seminar in 2021
FABI congratulates Khumbuzile Bophela on being the first FABIan to successfully complete all degree requirements to pass her PhD in 2021.
28 Jan 2021
FABI researchers feature prominently in FSA magazine
The research programmes and activities of several FABIans are profiled in the second issue of the Timber Industry Present magazine (TIP-MAG), an online publication of the Timber Industry Pesticides Working Group (TIPWG) of Forestry South Africa (FSA).
25 Jan 2021
FABI hosts a virtual SASPP Symposium
On 20 January, FABI had the pleasure of hosting a virtual congress of the South African Society of Plant Pathologists’ (SASPP).
22 Jan 2021
New book on pests and diseases of Pine and Eucalyptus in Colombia published
Professor Mike Wingfield and FABI alumnus Dr Carlos Rodas have co-authored a new book entitled “Important insect pests and diseases of Pinus and Eucalyptus in Colombia”.
22 Jan 2021
ARP team members visit Tzaneen
During the week of 18 January, members of the Avocado Research Programme (ARP), Dr Velushka Swart, PhD candidate Phinda Magagula and MSc candidate Raven Wienk travelled to Tzaneen. Finally, to ensure that this trip served to accomplish as much as possible, they visited several Macadamia orchards in the area to sample nuts with Husk rot symptoms on behalf of the Macadamia Protection Programme (MPP).
20 Jan 2021
Mike unpacks FABI’s past at MMM
Following the recent clearing-out of 30 years’ paperwork, Prof. Mike Wingfield shared some of the 32-year history of the Institute at the Monday Morning Meeting (MMM) of 18 January.
15 Jan 2021
FABIans get 2021 up and running
ABI officially opened for the new year starting with an online Monday Morning Meeting on 11 January.
12 Jan 2021
Mike Wingfield starts 2021 by clearing FABI of 30 years of his accumulated correspondence
The new year got off to a busy start when Prof.
11 Jan 2021
RGE-FABI THP symposium links three continents
The RGE-FABI Tree Health Programme (THP) hosted its annual symposium on 3 December.
14 Dec 2020
FABI wishes for the Festive Season and 2021
We wish you a restful holiday period, and all the very best for 2021!
13 Dec 2020
FABIans contribute to special issues in two scientific journals commemorating the International Year of Plant Health
The United Nations has declared 2020 the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH), in recognition of the urgent need for greater global collaboration to protect plant health.
11 Dec 2020
FABI became the first institute of Innovation Africa@UP in 2020
In 2020, the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI) became the first institute to join the Innovation Africa@UP unit.
10 Dec 2020
Join us for the Southern African Society for Plant Pathology conference on 20 January!
We are excited to connect with you on 20 January for our Southern African Society for Plant Pathology(SASPP) hybrid meeting at Future Africa at the University of Pretoria.
10 Dec 2020
Prof. Kupe visits FABI to discuss the need to rethink, reimagine and reposition higher education in a post-COVID-19 world
The Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Pretoria, Professor Tawana Kupe addressed the FABI Monday Morning Meeting on 30 November on higher education reimagined in the post COVID-19 world. COVID-19 has many negative implications for higher education. Notwithstanding the challenges, the pandemic has highlighted the need for a hybrid or blended education. Universities also have enormous research and development resources to contribute to the transformation of society. This is Professor Kupe’s third visit to FABI since his appointment at UP, and much appreciated by the community.
9 Dec 2020
Recently-appointed Sappi Vice President visits FABI
FABI was honoured to host a visit by the newly-appointed Vice President: Sappi Forests, Duane Roothman on 2 December.
8 Dec 2020
Last tree planting event for 2020
Forty FABIans from the Tree Protection Co-operative Programme (TPCP) and Grain Research programme (GRP) got their hands dirty replanting 200 pine and 1500 Eucalyptus seedlings into potting bags at the last tree planting event for 2020 on 27 November. This year’s tree planting also included students from the GRP who harvested maize leaves.
7 Dec 2020
Treatment trials established to fight Phytophthora die-back in Kirstenbosch gardens
South Africa’s iconic silver trees (Leucadendron argenteum) are listed as Endangered (EN) in the Red List of South African Plants.
2 Dec 2020
Almuth Hammerbacher promoted to Associate Professor
FABI congratulates Dr Almuth Hammerbacher on her well-deserved promotion to Associate Professor, effective January 2021.
1 Dec 2020
FABI PhD student presents at Entomology 2020
Ms Luki-Marie Scheepers, a PhD student in the Applied Chemical Ecology research group in FABI, presented her and her co-authors’ work on the Pine Emperor moth, Nudaurelia clarki, at the prestigious Entomological Society of America (ESA) annual meeting ‘Entomology 2020’. Annual conferences like these are usually highly anticipated collaboration and networking events and this year was no different despite it being hosted virtually. The online platform empowered a global audience, from 51 countries, to watch a total of 87 symposia divided into sections including systematics, medical science, ecosystems and physiology. The symposium content was full of variety, ranging from how bumblebees cope with self-created heat, how a fly evades your swat on a neural level and so much more. This conference illustrates the grit and innovation of researchers worldwide to continue networking, collaborating, innovating and working towards a finding answers for real-world problems despite a gripping global restriction on movement.
30 Nov 2020
Beauty in biodiversity and research excellence celebrated at 2020 year-end function
FABIans celebrated their stellar achievements in 2020 and toasted to new partnerships on 21 November at the first virtual year-end function.
27 Nov 2020
FABIans’ excellence celebrated at UP Academic Achievers Awards
Eight FABI researchers were honoured at the University of Pretoria Academic Achievers Award event on 25 November. Professors Fanus Venter and Dave Berger were both honoured with the Exceptional Academic Achievers Award.
26 Nov 2020
Researchers in the GRP lay the foundation for future research projects in Ugie, EC
Drs David Nsibo and Mahlane Godfrey Kgatle in the Grain Research Program (GRP) planted the first maize cultivar trials and configured a weather station on 19 November at Rocky Park Farm in Ugie, Eastern Cape.
24 Nov 2020
Mike Wingfield once again included on the 2020 Clarivate Web of Science Highly Cited Researchers list
FABI congratulates Prof. Mike Wingfield, Founding Director of the Institute for being included on the 2020 Clarivate Web of Science Highly Cited Researchers list - the fourth consecutive year he has achieved this status.
23 Nov 2020
Chinese Government gift to FABI
Professor Bernard Slippers, Director of FABI and Prof. Mike Wingfield recently visited the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Pretoria to receive a gift of a large number of protective face masks from the newly-appointed Minister Counselor (Science and Technology), Mr Shen Long.
23 Nov 2020
FABI celebrates the accolades of its staff and students
November has been a good month for staff and students at FABI. FABI celebrates the achievements of the following five students who received awards in various categories.
17 Nov 2020
Inspection of invasive disease and pest problems in SANBI's Cape gardens
During the week of 9 November, a FABI team including Prof. Mike Wingfield, Prof. Brenda Wingfield, Dr Trudy Paap, Dr Mesfin Gossa and Dr Hiroyuki Suzuki visited botanical gardens in the Western Cape Province.
17 Nov 2020
FABI meetings return to the auditorium
FABI’s Monday Morning Meeting returned to the auditorium on 16 November after an eight month break, using a newly-installed webcam to host a “hybrid meeting” on the usual Zoom platform.
16 Nov 2020
Sandisiwe Jali profiled in FSA newsletter
FABI field extension officer Sandisiwe Jali is profiled in an article “Role models for the future of forestry” in Forestry South Africa’s (FSA) October newsletter.
9 Nov 2020
A new biocontrol agent for the eucalypt gall wasp, Leptocybe invasa
The end of October saw the first intentional introductions of the parasitoid wasp Quadrastichus mendeli.
6 Nov 2020
FABI scientists present their research at prestigious international plant synthetic biology conference
While a pandemic has brought world travel to a near halt, the international scientific community has shown remarkable resilience in our ability to connect with one another virtually and share research updates at international conferences.
6 Nov 2020
Industry experts unpack the intricacies of maize production in South Africa at MCET lecture
FABI postdoctoral Fellow Dr Godfrey Kgatle chaired a national maize cultivar evaluation trial (MCET) lecture on 3 November. SANSOR and Grain SA are key players in the trials and their relationship with FABI as well as with partners in academia, government and the grain industry culminated in the launch of the Grain Research Programme in August. FABIans have, since 2019, helped to sort and pack seeds for the national maize cultivar evaluation trials.
2 Nov 2020
Arthropod genomics and their applications on plant health explored in the sixth installment of the FABI International Seminar Series
Renowned insect genomics expert Professor Robert Waterhouse presented the sixth lecture in the FABI International Seminar Series on 29 October.
28 Oct 2020
TPCP team members visit the southern Cape
When you think of the southern Cape, you think of the Tsitsikamma: long beaches and the rolling mountains that follow the N2 freeway. In addition to collecting these important logs team members, Prof.
26 Oct 2020
TPCP team members visit plantations on the KZN coast
Some of the most impressive, and in fact some of the earliest, clonal eucalypt plantations can be found on the KwaZulu-Natal Coast of South Africa.
21 Oct 2020
The Hans Merensky Chair in Avocado Research hosts its annual student presentation day
The Avocado Research Programme (ARP) in FABI hosted its annual Student Presentation Day on 15 October.