FTBP Team
Dr Velushka Swart
Prof Noelani van den Berg
Dr Robert Backer
Dr Maryke Carstens
Ms Ncobile Kunene
Dr Alicia Fick
Dr Melissa Joubert
Mr Aaron Harvey
Ms Kayla Alexis Midgley
Ms Tsakani Miyambo
Ms Heike Möller
Ms Alicia Vermeulen
Ms Raven Wienk
Ms Johane Cilliers
Ms Julia Lutz
Mr Johannes (JJ) Nelson
Ms Annabel Norval
Ms Palesa Kubayi
Ms Chloe Launder
Mr Ndumiso Mabuza
Ms Danielle Rosner
Ms Leanie De BeerNew Publications
Magagula P, Swart V, Fourie A, Vermeulen A, Nelson JH, van Rooyen Z, van den Berg N. (2025) Avocado rhizosphere community profiling: white root rot and its impact on microbial composition. Frontiers in Microbiology 16
10.3389/fmicb.2025.1583797
van den Berg N, Magagula P, Backer R, Swart V. (2025) Towards developing an integrated approach for the treatment of white root rot in commercial avocado orchards. Phytoparasitica 53(32)
10.1007/s12600-025-01250-1 
Harvey A, van den Berg N, Swart V. (2025) In silico characterisation of the avocado WAK/WAKL gene family with a focus on genes involved in defence against Phytophthora cinnamomi. Frontiers in Plant Science 15:1474781.
10.3389/fpls.2024.1474781
Harvey A, van den Berg N, Swart V. (2024) Describing and characterizing the WAK/WAKL gene family across plant species: a systematic review. Frontiers in Plant Science 15:1467148.
10.3389/fpls.2024.1467148
Joubert M, van den Berg N, Theron J, Swart V. (2024) Global transcriptomic analysis in avocado nursery trees reveals differential gene expression during asymptomatic infection by avocado sunblotch viroid (ASBVd). Virus Research 339:199263.
10.1016/j.virusres.2023.199263.
Anbu SP, Swart V, van den Berg N. (2023) Unmasking the invaders: NLR-mal function in plant defense. Frontiers in Plant Science 14:1307294.
10.3389/fpls.2023.1307294
Backer R, Naidoo S, van den Berg N. (2023) The expression of the NPR1-dependent defense response pathway genes in Persea americana (Mill.) following infection with Phytophthora cinnamomi. BMC Plant Biology 23(1):548.
10.1186/s12870-023-04541-z
Wingfield BD, Berger DK, Coetzee MPA, Duong TA, Martin A, Pham NQ, Van den Berg N, Wilken PM, Arun-Chinnappa KS, Barnes I, Buthelezi S, Dahanayaka BA, Durán A, Engelbrecht J, Feurtey A, Fourie A, Fourie G, Hartley J, Kabwe ENK, Maphosa M, Narh Mensah DL, Nsibo DL, Potgieter L, Poudel B, Stukenbrock EH, Thomas C, Vaghefi N, Welgemoed T, Wingfield MJ. (2022) IMA genome‑F17 Draft genome sequences of an Armillaria species from Zimbabwe, Ceratocystis colombiana, Elsinoë necatrix, Rosellinia necatrix, two genomes of Sclerotinia minor, short‑read genome assemblies and annotations of four Pyrenophora teres isolates from barley grass, and a long-read genome assembly of Cercospora zeina. 13:19.
10.1186/s43008-022-00104-3
Wienk R, Mostert‑O’Neill M, Abeysekara N, Manosalva P, Freeman B, van den Berg N. (2022) Genetic diversity, population structure and clonal verification in South African avocado cultivars using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. Tree Genetics and Genomes 18(41)
10.1007/s11295-022-01573-8
Joubert M, van den Berg N, Theron J, Swart V. (2022) Transcriptomics Advancement in the Complex Response of Plants to Viroid Infection. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 23(7677)
10.3390/ijms23147677
Backer R, Engelbrecht J, van den Berg N. (2022) Differing Responses to Phytophthora cinnamomi Infection in Susceptible and Partially Resistant Persea americana (Mill.) Rootstocks: A Case for the Role of Receptor-Like Kinases and Apoplastic Proteases. Frontiers in Plant Science 13
10.3389/fpls.2022.928176
Kooverjee BB, Soma P, Neser FWC, Van der Nest MA, Scholtz MM. (2022) Selection Signatures in South African Nguni and Bonsmara Cattle Populations Reveal Genes Relating to Environmental Adaptation.. Frontiers in Genetics 13:909012.
10.3389/fgene.2022.909012
Hartley J, Engelbrecht J, Van den Berg N. (2022) Detection and prevalence of Rosellinia necatrix in South African avocado orchards. European Journal of Plant Pathology
10.1007/s10658-022-02532-8
Fick A, Swart V, Van den Berg N. (2022) The ups and downs of plant NLR expression during pathogen infection. Frontiers in Plant Science 13:921148.
10.3389/fpls.2022.921148
Midgley KA, van den Berg N, Swart V. (2022) Unraveling plant cell death during Phytophthora Infection. Microorganisms 10(6)
10.3390/microorganisms10061139
Miyambo TM, Backer R, Engelbrecht J, Joubert F, van der Merwe NA, van den Berg N. (2022) The Identification and Characterization of Endopolygalacturonases in a South African Isolate of Phytophthora cinnamomi. Microorganisms 10(1061)
10.3390/microorganisms10051061
Fick A, Swart V, Backer R, Bombarely A, Engelbrecht J, van den Berg N. (2022) Partially Resistant Avocado Rootstock Dusa® Shows Prolonged Upregulation of Nucleotide Binding-Leucine Rich Repeat Genes in Response to Phytophthora cinnamomi Infection. Frontiers in Plant Science 13:793644.
10.3389/fpls.2022.793644
Wingfield BD, De Vos L, Wilson AM, Duong AT, Vaghefi N, Botes A, Kharwar RN, Chand R, Poudel B, Aliyu H, Barbetti MJ, Chen S, de Maayer P, Liu F, Navathe S, Sinha S, Steenkamp ET, Suzuki H, Tshisekedi KA, van der Nest MA, Wingfield MJ. (2022) Draft genome assemblies of Fusarium marasasianum, Huntiella abstrusa, two Immersiporthe knoxdaviesiana isolates, Macrophomina pseudophaseolina, Macrophomina phaseolina, Naganishia randhawae, and Pseudocercospora cruenta. IMA Fungus 13(1):3.
10.1186/s43008-022-00089-z
Engelbrecht J, Duong TA, Paap T, Hulbert JM, Hanneman J, Van den Berg N. (2022) Population genetic analyses of Phytophthora cinnamomi reveals three lineages and movement between natural vegetation and avocado orchards in South Africa.
10.1094/PHYTO-10-21-0414-R
Kooverjee BB, Soma P, Neser FWC, Van der Nest MA, Scholtz MM. 2022. Copy number variation analysis in Nguni and Bonsmara crossbred cattle. In: Proceedings of 12th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production (WCGALP). Veerkamp RF, de Haas Y. (eds). Wageningen Academic Publishers, pp 2187-2190.