FABI founding Director and Immediate Past President IUFRO, Prof. Mike Wingfield along with Prof. Brett Hurley were invited to present in a FAO webinar covering the topic “Forest invasive species - the next global pandemic?” on 29 July.
Dr Celine Caseys of the University of California, Davis, delivered the third presentation in the FABI International Seminar Series on 30 July.
It has been just over four years since the SANBI-funded postdoctoral project ‘Monitoring plant health in sentinel sites: botanical gardens and arboreta’ started.
FABI congratulates Prof. Mike Wingfield on winning the National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) Annual Theme Award: Plant Health.
Three researchers from the FABI Grain Research Programme, Dr David Nsibo, Dr Godfrey Kgatle and PhD candidate Pfano Mbedzi, visited farms in the Eastern Cape from 12-17 July.
FABI students and their co-authors contributed 37 posters/graphical abstracts of the 157 of these presentations at the MSA conference.
Four FABIans (Vinolia Danki, Dr Tuan Duong, Dr Andi Wilson and Prof. Andi and Brenda were joined in the making of the video by Tuan and Vinolia.
For the first time in its 23-year history, FABI hosted a virtual Society for the Presentation of Outrageous Findings (SPOOF) event on 17 July. FABIans submitted nine pre-recorded videos, which in the spirit of the time, reflected the lighter moments of a nation under lockdown. The Gene Jockeys took the prize for the Best Abstract (with the subliminal message “Vote for us. FABI Director Prof.
JieQiong Li marked the completion of her PhD study by presenting a prestige seminar (thesis defense) on 17 July.
FABI Director, Prof. Bernard Slippers along with Prof. Brett Hurley and Darryl Herron embarked on a field trip to the southern Cape during the week of 29 June.
Vice-Chancellor and Principal at the University of Pretoria Professor Tawana Kupe joined FABIans at the Monday Morning Meeting on 13 July for a discussion on ‘fake news’ in the era of the Covid-19 pandemic.
FABI’s Dr Tanay Bose, a postdoctoral Fellow under the TPCP and in partnership with Sappi Forests has been running Phytophthora disease resistance trials for identifying tolerant Eucalyptus clones.
FABI was delighted to learn that a colleague and Manager for Partnerships and Programs for Innovation at Future Africa, Dr Osmond Mlonyeni has been appointed as a Trustee of the Mandela Rhodes Foundation. The Trustees of the MRF officially welcomed him at the annual Board meeting held on 8 June. Osmond is an alumnus of FABI at the University of Pretoria where he completed both MSc and PhD degrees and he remains deeply involved in the activities of FABI.
FABI’s second monthly International Seminar had Assistant Professor of Forest Pathology at West Virginia University Dr Matthew Kasson present a talk entitled: Deciphering fungus-arthropod interactions: from ambrosia fungi to cicada-killing “Zygomycetes".
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.
