orestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI) founding Director and immediate past IUFRO President Prof. Mike Wingfield joined a global group of invasion biologists to compile an important study warning of the threats posed by invasive alien species.
As we move to more relaxed lockdown regulations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools, businesses and offices are starting to re-open. Recently, a leatherwear and accessory store in Malaysia reopened their doors after two months of lockdown, only to find fungi growing on all their products.
After what felt like an eternity in lockdown, FABI and the Tree Protection Co-operative Programme (TPCP) were finally able to send their first team back into the field. Field work, like space exploration, allows us to collect data and samples, establish important trials and gives us the opportunity to educate as we work. The expedition to Mpumalanga was a success. We are especially thankful to Forestry South Africa and the University of Pretoria for providing permits for us to continue with field trips.
Why it’s so critical to continuously monitor and manage plant diseases.
FABI congratulates Stephanie van Wyk who presented her PhD prestige seminar and thesis defence on 2 June, the first FABIAN to do so using the online meeting platform, Zoom.
Postgraduate research activities have continued at FABI despite the COVID-19 lockdown. FABI has recently been allowed to partially open its doors and resume research activities.
The FABI team was delighted to hear that the Institute Director Prof. The award recognises Prof.
FABI launched its first virtual International Seminar Series on 28 May, with more than 160 participants from 20 countries around the world tuning in. Dr Joey Tanney, a research scientist at the Pacific Forestry Centre in Canada, kick-started the series with his seminar “Endophyte insights: Modulating tree microbiomes and the new paradigm of forest tree health”. The FABI International Seminar Series is co-ordinated by Prof.
Two FABI PhD candidates are among 17 young science communicators from South African universities who will compete for a place in the FameLab International Finals scheduled for October. The FameLab SA finals will be held at a future date ahead of the international contest scheduled for October.
FABIans opened their hearts and wallets in April and collected more than R11,000 to buy blankets for community organisations in Tembisa, east of Johannesburg.
The DNA Sanger Sequencing facility at the University of Pretoria (UP) hosted an annual in-house Introductory Microsatellite Workshop (IMW) for UP postgraduate students and staff from 4-11 May 2020.
With the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, many hospitals are running low on personal protective equipment, not only for their staff but also for their incoming patients. If anyone would like to contribute to this good cause, please contact FABI Deputy Director Prof.
Harnessing the rapid advances in biotechnology and ‘big-data’ processing will open up new possibilities for future tree health management.
Members of a panel highlighted the essential contributions of fundamental research in efforts to maintain healthy plantation of trees.
Professor Brett Hurley illustrated how fundamental research had the laid the foundation for the application of management practices for new and established pests and pathogens of plantation-grown forest trees South Africa.
The situation the world’s population currently finds itself in with the global-spread of the COVID-19 virus – just one invisible pathogen - bears direct parallels to the research work that has been done in the TPCP over the past 31 years in combatting plantation tree pests and diseases.
Climate change is an undisputed challenge to commercial forestry worldwide. It brings with it changes not only to the environment but also the opportunity for pests and diseases to colonize new areas, previously unsuitable for their survival.
The 31st Annual meeting of the TPC and CPHB in FABI was held on the 12 May.
articipants attending the first online meeting of the Tree Protection Co-operative Programme (TPCP) and the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Plant Health Biotechnology(CPHB) on 12 May contemplated the state of partnerships between academia and industry.
The FABI community is delighted with three of its researchers awarded Future Leaders – African Independent Research (FLAIR) fellowships.
On 8 May, the CFTPP Team at CERC planted Eucalyptus urophylla genotypes in experimental plot that will be used for experiments on the biology of Calonectria species that cause a serious leaf blight disease.
In anticipation of the Tree Protection Co-operative Programme (TPCP) and DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Plant Health Biotechnology (CPHB) meeting on Tuesday 11 May, various members of the TPCP Management Committee joined FABI and TPCP Director Prof. Bernard Slippers for an online Zoom meeting to test the system.
FABI runs numerous Journal Clubs. Importantly these have continued to meet during the COVID-19 lockdown, albeit using virtual platforms.
Renate Zipfel, manager of the DNA Sequencing Facility in the Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology (BGM) reflects on working from home during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Despite the many complications relating to the global CoViD-19 crisis, FABI has continued to maintain substantial research momentum.
The University of Pretoria has appointed Dr Marinda Visser as the Director: Strategic Projects and Partnerships in Agriculture - Innovation Africa@UP with effect from 1 May 2020.
Members of the Tree Protection Co-operative Programme (TPCP) Diagnostic Clinic team travelled to Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal in March for the annual Diagnostic Clinic training trip.
February's extension trip took Caitlin Gevers, Darryl Herron, Daniella Kramer and Jenna-Lee Price to some exotic locations around Mkhondo in Mpumalanga, the wild lands of eSwatini (formerly Swaziland), Greytown and Vryheid in KwaZulu-Natal.
At the FABI Biocontrol Centre on the experimental farm of the university, several living collections of organisms are being maintained, particularly for the TPCP Biocontrol research.
Elisa Pal, a PhD candidate in FABI’s Macadamia Protection Programme explains how she cares for her colony of stink bugs during the Covid-19 lockdown.
FABI celebrates with the 68 graduates affiliated with the Institute whose degrees were conferred at the University of Pretoria’s first virtual graduation ceremony on 6 April.
Two articles on the valuable work done at FABI on monitoring and surveillance of the polyphagous shothole borer were re-published in the February edition of Wood Southern Africa & Timber Times.
The 13th South African Plant Breeders Symposium was held at the University of Pretoria’s Future Africa campus from 8-11 March. A special afternoon session was set aside for University of Pretoria students to organise and was sponsored by Corteva™Agriscience.
