The focus of my research is to identify, characterise and study the evolution of a special group of soil bacteria. These bacteria (informally referred as rhizobia) can enter into a symbiotic interaction with legumes, where they fix atmospheric nitrogen for the plant and receive photosynthetic products in return. The most obvious result of the interaction is the formation of nodules on the roots of the plants and in some instances also on the stem.

In South Africa we have a large diversity of legumes, the most well-known of which is most probably rooibos tea (Aspalathus linearis). For the most part the identity of the rhizobia associated with our indigenous legumes are unknown, this could prove problematic as it has been discovered that it is possible for the rhizobia of invasive legumes to disrupt an indigenous interaction thereby providing the invasive legume with a competitive edge. If we ever needed to someday replace the indigenous rhizobia of 'our' legumes, we would of course need to know who they are and the conditions in which they function optimally. There is also always the possibility that these newly identified rhizobia could prove to be better inoculum for legume crops. My study therefore forms part of the scope of the DST/NRF Centre of Excellence in Tree Health Biotechnology.

I am also part of the Grain Research Programme where my focus is to assemble a body of recent and industry-relevant scientific literature on the most prominent diseases of sunflower, maize and soybean. The aim is to provide farmers with the necessary reference information to aid them in management decisions.