CFTPP Team at CERC’s 40 km team building walk
The whole year's work depends on a good start in spring, and the work for the year is best begun in spring.
2 Apr 2019
1 Apr 2019
Dr Wayne Hancock visits the Macadamia Protection Programme and presents a special seminar at FABI
Dr Wayne Hancock of Southern Cross University, Australia visited Dr Gerda Fourie, research leader of the Macadamia Protection Programme in FABI, from 25 to 28 March.
29 Mar 2019
Quentin Santana becomes the third FABIan to earn the title “Dr” in 2019
Congratulations to Quentin Santana on fulfilling all the requirements for a PhD degree! Quentin is the third candidate at FABI to achieve this feat in 2019.
27 Mar 2019
Crossing the Equator: A research visit to the National Coffee Research Institute (NaCORI) in Uganda
From 18 to 22 March, Dr Vuyiswa Bushula-Njah visited the National Coffee Research Institute (NaCORI) in Uganda.
20 Mar 2019
International Day of Forests celebrated at Future Africa and FABI
FABI Director Professor Bernard Slippers and FABI founding Director and current IUFRO President Prof Mike Wingfield were amongst the numerous speakers who addressed the theme “Forests and Education” at a symposium celebrating the International Day of Forests held at the University of Pretoria’s Future Africa Campus on 18 March.
20 Mar 2019
FABIans flexed their green fingers at 2019’s first tree planting session
A team of about 40 students spent the morning on 21 March replanting 1600 cuttings into potting bags at the FABI nursery on the University of Pretoria’s experimental farm.
19 Mar 2019
PSHB fungus tested for pathogenicity on commercial forest trees
During the past week, Prof. Wilhelm de Beer and some FABI students inoculated Eucalyptus grandis and wattle trees with the PSHB fungus on the experimental farm of the University.
19 Mar 2019
FABI hosts delegation from DAFF’s International Day of Forests celebrations
FABI hosted a delegation of officials from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF), academics and forestry students on 19 March.
15 Mar 2019
FABI PhD student speaks about his prize-winning science communication video and tree health matters in interview with VOC FM
FABI PhD candidate Darryl Herron cast the spotlight on tree health matters during an interview with VOC FM, a community radio station based in Ermelo, Mpumalanga, on 14 March.
15 Mar 2019
FABI attends the Fungal Genetics meeting
Eight Fabians attended the Fungal Genetics meeting in Asilomar, California during March 2019.
14 Mar 2019
Busy week in the field for the TPCP
In the week of 4 March, the TPCP had three different field trips to the KwaZulu-Natal, Midlands.
6 Mar 2019
Thirteen students join the CTHB Undergraduate Mentorship Programme in 2019
Thirteen undergraduate students will get their first taste of life as researchers as mentees in the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Tree Health Biotechnology’s undergraduate mentorship programme.
1 Mar 2019
Prof Steven Chown: Global leader in Antarctic Science and Biodiversity visits FABI
Professor Steven Chown of the School of Biological Sciences at Monash University in Australia visited FABI on the 27 February to engage with academic colleagues and students.
27 Feb 2019
A tree health engagement in Florida
Professor Mike Wingfield spent three days in Gainsville, Florida during the week of the 18 February. This short visit was in part to participate in a workshop seeking to promote forest health research in the southeastern United States.
26 Feb 2019
Fieldwork to understand the emerging Ceratocystis threat to Eucalyptus in South Africa
From 17-19 February, some members of the Ceratocystis team, Dr Irene Barnes, and TPCP students and Postdocs, Arista Fourie, Dr FeiFei Liu and Granny Hlongwane, went on a field trip to Kwambonambi, KwaZulu-Natal to observe the Ceratocystis infection on Eucalyptus hybrid clones in the plantations.
24 Feb 2019
Shot Hole borer projects launched in forests of the Southern Cape
During the past week, Prof. Wilhelm de Beer of FABI and Prof. Francois Roets from Stellenbosch University, visited the southern Cape to launch two research projects on the impact of the Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer (PSHB) on native trees in the area.
21 Feb 2019
Chinese student delegation visits FABI
FABI welcomed a student delegation from the Tsinghua University in Beijing on 20 February.
18 Feb 2019
FABI students do well at SA Botany Congress
During January a group of FABIans participated in the 45th Conference of the South African Association of Botanists (SAAB) which was held in conjunction with the Southern African Society for Systematics and Biosystematics (SASSB) and the African Mycological Association (AMA) on the campus of the University of Johannesburg.
15 Feb 2019
CFTPP research leader visits FABI
University of Pretoria Extra-ordinary Professor ShuaiFei Chen made a 10-day visit to FABI during February.
11 Feb 2019
FABIans strengthening collaboration between France and South Africa
The French Embassy organised a meeting of French academics working in South Africa on 8 February. This meeting aimed to connect French researchers from various fields and promote the expertise and innovation between the two countries.
5 Feb 2019
TPCP field extension services boosted by the appointment of Dr Trudy Paap
FABI is pleased to announce that Dr Trudy Paap has been appointed with effect from February to manage the field extension services of the Tree Protection Co-operative programme (TPCP), as well as to support the development of a national pest and disease monitoring and management system that links TPCP, Institute for Commercial Forestry Research (ICFR), Industry and Government resources.
1 Feb 2019
FABIans celebrate two prestige seminars in as many days
FeiFei Liu successfully defended her PhD thesis on 29 January, becoming the second FABIan this year to earn the title “Dr”. This after she presented her prestige seminar, titled “Species diversity and host associations of plant pathogenic Ceratocystis species in China”.
31 Jan 2019
FABIans attend orchids conference
FABI postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Tanay Bose and MSc student Ms. Modjadji Makwela presented their research at theWild Orchids Southern Africa (WOSA) Conference.
29 Jan 2019
Elrea Strydom presents the first prestige seminar at FABI in 2019
Elrea Strydom fulfilled all the requirements for a PhD degree after successfully defending her thesis on 28 January. She became the first FABIan in 2019 to achieve this accolade.
28 Jan 2019
FABI shines at SASPP meeting
The 2019 meeting of the Southern African Society for Plant Pathology (SASPP) took place on the West Coast, hosted by Stellenbosch University.
26 Jan 2019
Scouting for eucalyptus pests on the Cape Peninsula
In a first step towards understanding this problem, FABI Prof. Mike Wingfield undertook a preliminary survey of Eucalyptus trees in the greater Stellenbosch area, assisted by Dr. Mike Allsopp of the Agricultural Research Council, Plant Protection Research Institute.
22 Jan 2019
Mammoth inoculation trial of pine seedlings
Late in 2018, 14 FABIans banded together for the mammoth task of inoculating and disease assessment of 6,360 Pinus patula seedlings with 159 Fusarium circinatum isolates.
18 Jan 2019
Leaders in the TPCP outline strategy for the months ahead
Members of the Tree Protection Co-operative Programme(TPCP) met at the Future Africa campus on 17 January for a briefing on developments affecting the management and work done in the programme in 2019.
17 Jan 2019
FABIans herald 2019 at the Institute’s welcome breakfast and first Monday Morning Meeting
The excitement was palpable as FABI Director Professor Bernard Slippers welcomed staff and students to their first gathering in the Institute for 2019.
16 Jan 2019
Professor Mike Wingfield appointed Advisor to the UP Executive
The University of Pretoria (UP) has appointed FABI founding-Director Prof Mike Wingfield as Advisor to the Executive, reporting to Vice-Principal for Institutional Planning Prof Anton Ströh.
16 Jan 2019
Andi Wilson awarded FWIS Doctoral Fellowship
This year, 10 young women researchers, including FABI PhD candidate Andi Wilson - chosen from more than 500 applicants - were awarded Andi Wilson awarded FWIS Doctoral Fellowships, while a further two were awarded FWIS Postdoctoral Fellowships.
13 Dec 2018
FABIan participates in the first NRF-NSF funded Bark Beetle-Fungus Workshop in Florida, USA
A group of scientists from South Africa and the USA met at the University of Florida (UF), Gainesville, as part of a collaborative network that is jointly funded by the NRF and NSF.
9 Dec 2018
Shot Hole Borer invasion places FABI in the spotlight
The invasion of the tree-killing Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer (PSHB) in South Africa has gained wide attention in the printed and digital media over the past few months, not only in South Africa, but also abroad.
7 Dec 2018
FABI and CABI jointly host the first Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer Workshop in Africa
During the last week of November, a team of scientists from FABI under the leadership of Prof. Wilhelm de Beer hosted the first workshop in Africa specifically focused on the invasion of the Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer (PSHB).
6 Dec 2018
First publications celebrated
The Tree Protection Co-operative Programme (TPCP) celebrated the first publication of a paper in an ISI-rated scientific journal by a postgraduate student from the work of either their PhD or MSc at a party on 26 November.
6 Dec 2018
Hat trick for FABI researchers
FABI Director Professor Bernard Slippers has joined Prof Mike Wingfield and Prof Pedro Crous on the list of highly cited researchers in the field of Plant and Animal Sciences for 2018.