Ms Tshiamo Lesedi
| MSc student | |
Department |
|
FABI |
|
| This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
My Supervisor/s
| Primary Supervisor | |
| Brett Hurley | |
| Sanushka Naidoo |
I have an undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree in Human Physiology, Genetics and Psychology from the University of Pretoria. I have also completed a BScHons degree in Genetics where I focused on determining the genetic diversity and population structure of Okra accessions from various different countries using microsatellite markers. This was done under the supervision of Dr Noma Majola and co-supervision of Prof Sanushka Naidoo.
I am currently doing a Masters specialising in Genetics, where I will focus on the physiological and molecular impact of insect and artificial defoliation on Eucalyptus dunnii. I am very passionate about science and have a strong desire to learn.
Current research
Title: Physiological and molecular changes under artificial and insect defoliation in Eucalyptus
Defoliator insect pests can cause significant damage in natural and planted forests. Thus, understanding the economic loss associated with and the molecular mechanisms underlying defoliation by insect pests is important for both forest managers and tree breeders. However, assessing the economic impact of natural insect defoliation as well as setting up insect defoliation experiments could be challenging, while the inherent variation in the pattern of insect feeding may affect experimental accuracy. Artificial defoliation has been considered as a good proxy to study insect defoliation. However, several factors such as season, age of the trees and the severity of mechanical stripping (defoliation) should be carefully considered as these could lead to different results. Additionally, physiological changes such as upregulation of photosynthesis have been observed upon defoliation. However, this depends on the degree of artificial defoliation. Thus, understanding the differences in the physiological changes between artificial and insect defoliation as well as the molecular basis of these differences is important as this could inform decision making towards a more effective use of artificial defoliation.