News

19 Apr 2015

FABIans at the IUFRO Board Meeting and Bio-Economy symposium in Vienna

FABI was well represented at the IUFRO expanded Board Meeting held in Vienna, Austria, on 15-16 April where Director and current IUFRO President, Prof. Prior to the Board meeting IUFRO, in partnership with the Austrian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management (BMLFUW), hosted the Bio-Economy Symposium with the theme “Sowing Innovation – Reaping Sustainability: Forests’ Crucial Role in a Green Economy”. In his opening address to the delegates, Prof.

14 Apr 2015

FABI professor gives plenary lecture at conference in the UK

Prof. Photo (Left to right): Dr Helen Neale, Prof.

11 Apr 2015

A busy year for the CMW Culture Collection

It has been a very busy start to the year for the staff managing the CMW Fungal Culture Collection at FABI. The FABI collection is one of the largest private collections of fungal cultures in the world and was established in the 1980's by FABI Director, Prof. The collection is especially known for accommodating focus groups of fungal agents of tree disease in commercial forestry, and includes some of the most comprehensive collections in existence of the ophiostomatoid fungi (Ophiostoma, Sporothrix, Ceratocystis etc. The preparation, storage, maintenance and cataloguing of this collection is of vital importance and this is done by a group of six staff and postgraduate students. The fungal cultures are preserved in four different media: sterile water, agar slants, mineral oil and freeze dried with a skim milk formula. Dr Marincowitz runs a tight ship with every culture sample coming in being logged and recorded both electronically and manually on data cards. The CMW collection forms the foundation of much of the research in FABI.

2 Apr 2015

First publications of FABI students in ISI-rated journals celebrated

The TPCP-CTHB groups in FABI have a tradition of officially celebrating 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 the first publication party for 2015, the first publications of seven students were celebrated last week. THE PUBLICATIONS Fourie A, Wingfield MJ, Wingfield BD, Barnes I. Herron DA, Wingfield MJ, Wingfield BD, Rodas CA, Marincowitz S, Steenkamp ET. Lee DH, Roux J, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ. Liu FF, Mbenoun M, Barnes I, Roux J, Wingfield MJ, Li GQ, Li JQ, Chen SF. Nesamari R, Millar IM, Coutinho TA, Roux J. Osorio JA, Wingfield MJ, Roux J. Taerum SJ, Duong TA, De Beer ZW, Gillette N, Sun J, Owen DR, Wingfield MJ.

1 Apr 2015

High school students visit FABI

FABI hosted two groups of High School students over the past two weeks. The visit by students from St Mary’s is now an annual occasion where the girls are also addressed by female academics. The girls were then given the opportunity to do gel electrophoresis preparation to tie in with the biotechnology module currently being covered in their school syllabus. Affies is located close to the University and this is the second year the school has sent its students to visit the Institute to get an insight into the work being done at the University and gain a practical insight into research being conducted. The students are currently studying bacteria and viruses and were hosted by Prof. Students were briefed on biological Nitrogen fixation in plants, given a chance to inoculate and plate bacterial cultures before being told about fungal and bacterial symbioses in indigenous Protea species. Visits by scholars forms an important part of FABI’s mandate to educate the youth and instill an interest in Science by exposing them to high level research being conducted at the Institute.

30 Mar 2015

Many hands make light work

In a joint effort, staff and students again showed that many hands make light work at the year’s first TPCP-CTHB Tree Planting Day. Everyone swapped their labcoats for shovels, secateurs, wheelbarrows, trolleys and brooms to ensure the tasks were finished by lunchtime. The Tree Planting Day is a team building exercise as much as a time saving effort by the FABI staff under the watchful eye of Dr Wilhelm de Beer. More photos here.

29 Mar 2015

Africa Science Leadership Program (ASLP) launched at the University of Pretoria

The University of Pretoria, in partnership with the Global Young Academy and Robert Bosch Stiftung, has recently launched the Africa Science Leadership Program (ASLP). FABI research leader and also leader of the Africa Science Leadership Initiative, Prof. Dr Eva Alisic, co-chair of the Global Young Academy and researcher at Monash University in Australia, spent the first two months of the year in FABI to support the launch of the program. The program will commence with a first group in June 2015, and will run annually for an initial period of three years. More information on the Africa Science Leadership Program (ASLP). Reference Slippers B, Alisic E.

27 Mar 2015

American student to start a citizen science research project at FABI

In April 2015, Joey Hulbert will join FABI as a PhD student in the Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology. Photo: Joey Hulbert next to a tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus) tree infected with Phytophthora ramorum — the species responsible for Sudden Oak Death in North America.

25 Mar 2015

TPCP/CTHB Diagnostic Clinic heads to Limpopo and Mpumalanga for a week of in-field training

The TPCP/CTHB Diagnostic Clinic serves the member companies of the TPCP with diagnoses and advice with regards to tree disease problems. Last week saw the TPCP/CTHB Diagnostic team go on their annual training trip. Some of the familiar plant diseases encountered on this trip included pitch canker and Armillaria root rot of pine; bacterial wilt and MLB (Mycosphaerella leaf blotch) of Eucalyptus; and pink disease on yellow wood. Pests and diseases were not the only part of the trip, however.

24 Mar 2015

The 2015 CTHB mentorship program kicks off with a meet-and-greet

The DST/NRF Centre for Tree Health and Biotechnology (CTHB) has been running a highly successful mentorship programme for over a decade. A meet and greet function for the successful mentees and their mentors was held on 27 February in the FABI courtyard.

19 Mar 2015

Launch of FABI’s annual Blanket Drive

FABI has launched its annual Blanket Collection campaign and aims to collect 200 blankets this year. Charity drives and social awareness is an important part of FABI’s annual events calendar and gives people pause to think of those less fortunate than they are and in need. Blankets can be dropped off in the FABI reception area or cash donations of R50 per blanket can be made to Prof Noelani van den Berg.

11 Mar 2015

Two Centres of Excellence join forces in research on La Reunion Island

FABI, the DST-NRF Centres of Excellence in Tree Health Biotechnology (CTHB) and Invasion Biology (C•I•B) joined forces during early March 2015 to investigate microbiological aspects of the relationship between Acacia koa and A.

7 Mar 2015

FABI PhD student to attend the 2015 Lindau meeting

A PhD student in FABI, Osmond Mlonyeni, has been chosen as a 2015 Lindau Fellow to attend the 65th Lindau meeting in Germany in June 2015.

6 Mar 2015

Tim Noakes Lectures at TUKS

A host of FABIans were part of the audience of more than 250 people that filled the Sanlam Auditorium to listen to Prof. Prof. The title of his lecture was Reversing the greatest blunder in the history of medicine: can South African medical science lead the way? Dr Albe van der Merwe, senior lecturer in FABI and a board member of S2A3, presented Prof.

5 Mar 2015

First PhD graduate from the Fruit Tree Biotechnology Programme

FABI would like to congratulate Bianca Reeksting on passing her PhD exam this week!

28 Feb 2015

Double Distinctions for two FABI MSc students

We would like to congratulate Erik Visser and Danielle Roodt for both passing their MSc degrees with distinction! Erik sequenced and assembled the shoot transcriptome of Pinus patula, creating an important resource to investigate host responses to Fusarium circinatum in future. As part of his MSc studies, Erik spent three months at the University of Connecticut in the laboratory of Prof. Danielle’s thesis is titled "The mating genetics and core genome of Ceratocystis albifundus". Ceratocystis albifundus is a filamentous ascomycete and a pathogen of non-native Acacia mearnsii in southern Africa. Both Danielle and Erik plan to embark on their PhD's this year.

27 Feb 2015

Myrtle rust pathogen, Puccinia psidii, spreading in South Africa

The non-native rust pathogen of Eucalyptus and other Myrtaceae, Puccinia psidii, was first reported from a single tree in a garden on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast of South Africa in May 2013. During a survey of cycad diseases in the Wolkberg Wilderness Area near Tzaneen, Limpopo Province, two native Eugenia sp. Puccinia psidii, the myrtle rust pathogen, has been known from Brazil and other South and Central American countries for several decades. Infection of plants results in leaf spot, necrosis of leaves, shoot, flower and fruit infections, resulting in death of affected plant parts. The threat of P. We encourage you to spread information on this important pathogen as wide as possible and to report any possible sightings of the disease to Prof.

21 Feb 2015

Encouraging Results in FABI/TPCP Biocontrol Programme

The fight against the ravages of the Bronze Bug Thaumastocoris peregrinus in commercial Eucalyptus forests has been stepped up with the successful release, establishment and spread of the minute parasitic wasp Cleruchoides noackae (Mymaridae). It has been 18 months since the Tree Protection Co-Operative Programme (TPCP), based at FABI, received permission from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) for the release the parasitic wasp. Data from post-release monitoring of C. Thaumastocoris peregrinus was first recorded in South Africa in 2003 (but only in 2005 in forestry areas), having been accidentally introduced from Australia. Photos: 1.

20 Feb 2015

FABI Launches Partnership with CBS

FABI has entered into a research partnership agreement with the Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures (CBS)-Fungal Biodiversity Centre located in Utrecht in the Netherlands. FABI Director, Prof. An important part of the partnership is the exchange of expertise and development and nurturing of the scientific talent at FABI. Prof. Species in the fungal genus Fusarium are of crucial importance in several fields. About CBS CBS is an institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). CBS maintains a world-renowned collection of more than 100 000 living filamentous fungi, yeasts and bacteria – the largest and oldest such collection in the world, representing a large percentage of the species in the fungal kingdom that have been cultured to date.

13 Feb 2015

Top science journalist visits FABI

Sarah Wild, Science Editor and multi-award winning journalist for the leading newspaper, The Mail & Guardian, visited FABI on 9 February when she conducted an interview with FABI Director, Prof.

6 Feb 2015

Population Genetics Guest Lecture

FABI was honoured to co-host a special seminar in partnership with Department of Genetics, by Dr Adam Konecný on the application of Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) as a valuable tool for inferring population history from genetic data.

4 Feb 2015

FABI Fun at the TPCP/CTHB Team Building Event

The biennal TPCP/CTHB team-building event was held last week, as in recent years, at Kwalata in the Dinokeng nature reserve north of Pretoria.

3 Feb 2015

The first FABI PhD graduate of 2015

In January 2015 Gudrun Dittrich-Schröder presented her PhD prestige seminar and passed her PhD exam. Leptocybe invasa is a gall-forming wasp of Eucalyptus species and has become one of the most threatening insect pests to Eucalyptus plantation forestry. We congratulate Gudrun on this wonderful achievement! Dittrich-Schroder G, Harney M, Neser S, Joffe T, Bush S, Hurley BP, Wingfield MJ, Slippers B. Dittrich-Schröder G, Wingfield MJ, Hurley BP, Slippers B. Kelly J, La Salle J, Harney M, Dittrich-Schröder G, Hurley BP.

27 Jan 2015

Prof. Brenda Wingfield receives the Christiaan Hendrik Persoon medal

Prof.

26 Jan 2015

FABIans make an impact at the SASPP congress

From 18-21 January, the 49th congress of the Southern African Society of Plant Pathology (SASPP) took place in Bloemfontein. It was one of the largest meetings in the history of the society with more than 200 delegates representing the industry, academia, government and regulatory bodies. FABI was well represented with FABIans giving one keynote address, 15 oral and 17 poster presentations.

24 Jan 2015