TPCP Contact Information

TPCP Field Extension 

Prof. Brett Hurley co-ordinates all field work and site visits by team members of the TPCP. Should you want members of our team to visit your area for an assessment of possible pest and disease problems, please contact him.

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Tel: 012 420 3938/5822 

Manager TPCP Diagnostic Clinic: Dr Lieschen De Vos

Lieschen is the manager of the diagnostic clinic and leads the team of people in FABI who assist with the diagnoses of disease-related problems. Please contact her before sending samples. For more information on the FABI Diagnostic Clinic, please follow this link.

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Tel: 012 420 3938/5826

Biological control: Prof. Brett Hurley

Prof. Hurley leads the entomological and biological research team in FABI together with Prof. Bernard Slippers. Any requests with regards to insects or biological control can be directed to Prof. Hurley.

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Tel: 082 9093211

When sending samples to the diagnostic clinic, please follow the instructions for sample preparation carefully and complete the submission form providing as much detail as possible about the problem.

If you are unsure of the problem or need advice on collection of samples, please contact Brett or Lieschen and discuss the problem before collecting and sending the samples.

 

 

 

New Publications

Aylward J, Roets F, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ. (2026) Seiridium insolitum sp. nov.: a new canker pathogen on Cupressus and Hesperocyparis in Southern Africa. Journal of Plant Pathology 10.1007/s42161-026-02302-z
Pham NQ, Suzuki H, Marincowitz S, Roets F, Paap T, Kapsosideris N, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ. (2026) Two decades of the Immersiporthe knoxdaviesiana (Cryphonectriaceae) canker outbreak driven by clonal pathogen lineages. Plant Pathology 75:e70274. 10.1111/ppa.70274
Gürtel ND, Pham NQ, Roux J, Nel WJ, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ. (2026) The pine-infesting bark beetle, Cyrtogenius luteus (Coleoptera: Scolytinae), discovered in South Africa. African Entomology 34:e27477. 10.17159/2254-8854/2026/a27477
Schröder ML, van Noort S, Greyling I, Hurley BP. (2026) Parasitoid diversity associated with Phoracantha semipunctata and Phoracantha recurva in South African Eucalyptus plantations. African Entomology 34 10.17159/2254-8854/2026/a25013
Zhou HX, Dong HB, Zhou WW, Wingfield MJ, Chen SF. (2026) A comparison of twenty-six baits for isolating Calonectria species illustrates differences in their efficacy and relevance. IMA Fungus 17 10.3897/imafungus.17.190896
Schertler A, Lenzner B, Dullinger S, Moser D, García-Rodríguez A, Krisai-Greilhuber I, Voglmayr H, Bufford JL, Santini A, Ghelardini L, Capinha C, Reino L, Wingfield MJ, Thines M, Talhinhas P, Dawson W, van Kleunen M, Kreft H, Pergl J, Pyšek P, Weigelt P, Winter M, Essl F. (2026) Are novel and co-xenic associations common in alien fungal and fungus-like plants pathogens?. New Phytologist 10.1111/nph.71455
Balocchi F, Wingfield MJ, Paap T. (2026) Occurrence of Phytophthora cinnamomi in the rhizosphere of declining Leucadendron elimense subsp. salteri in South Africa. Forest Pathology 56(4):e70097. 10.1111/efp.70097 PDF
Pham NQ, Wingfield BD, Marincowitz S, Marpaung YMAN, Selebi AP, Tarigan M, Wingfield MJ. (2026) A novel Cryphonectria species (Cryphonectriaceae, Diaporthales) discovered on Eucalyptus, including insights into the mating biology of the genus. Fungal Biology 130:101831. 10.1016/j.funbio.2026.101831
Jami F, Truter M, Pavlic M, Chen SF, Roux J. (2026) Identification of Botryosphaeriaceae species in the South African National Collection of fungi, including a novel species of Oblongocollomyces. African Biodiversity & Conservation 56(1):1-13. PDF
Vettraino AM, Bose T. (2026) Urban green spaces as emerging hotspots for Phytophthora diversity: a global synthesis of host associations, distribution and management gaps. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change 9:1872981. 10.3389/ffgc.2026.1872981
Burgess TI, Wingfield MJ. (2026) Unveiling a hidden menace: Invasive tree pathogens, less known but increasingly threatening Southern hemisphere forests. Annual Review of Phytopathology 64 10.1146/annurev-phyto-011325-100959
Motete T, Solís M, Hammerbacher A, Naidoo S. (2026) Gene expression profiling in Eucalyptus associates Phenylpropanoid resistance to Teratosphaeria destructans. Plant Pathology 10.1111/ppa.70207
Aylward J, Atkins S, Roets F, Danti R, Della Rocca G, Emiliani G, Fraser S, Garbelotto MM, Herron DA, Scali E, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ. (2026) High genetic diversity in the Cypress canker pathogen Seiridium cardinale in the Southern Hemisphere. Plant Pathology 75 10.1111/ppa.70212
van Heerden A, Pham NQ, Duong TA, Wingfield MJ, Wingfield BD. (2026) Draft genome sequence of Ganoderma philippii, a serious root rot pathogen of Eucalyptus in Southeast Asia. Australasian Plant Pathology 55:81. 10.1007/s13313-026-01159-1
Townsend G, Hill M, Hurley BP, Roets F. (2026) Native Scolytinae and Platypodinae beetle assemblages in indigenous South African forests and their co-occurrence with the invasive PSHB beetle. Journal of Insect Conservation 30 10.1007/s10841-026-00779-8
Balocchi F, Duncan G, Yilmaz N, Wingfield MJ, Paap T. (2026) The critically endangered geophyte Gladiolus aureus threatened by a wilt disease associated with Fusarium libertatis. Journal of Plant Pathology 10.1007/s42161-026-02227-7 PDF
Bose T, Wingfield MJ. (2026) Plantations are invasive pathogen bridgeheads—response to Li et al.. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 10.1016/j.tree.2026.05.006
Jamieson B-A, Paap T, Pegg GS, Carnegie AJ, Wingfield MJ, Roux J, Hardy GEStJ, Drenth A, Hammerbacher A, Bose T. (2026) Quambalaria spp.: Emerging Tree Pathogens of Concern. Current Forestry Reports 12:13. 10.1007/s40725-026-00274-y
Masuku SK, De Vos L, Thabiso TE, Steenkamp ET, Wingfield BD. (2026) Baseline sensitivity of South African Fusarium circinatum to tebuconazole. Journal of Plant Pathology 10.1007/s42161-026-02197-w
Fitawek W, Anjulo A, Healey M, Lawson SA, Hurley BP. (2026) The Moringa value chain in Ethiopia and the socio-economic impact of pests and diseases. CABI Agriculture and Bioscience 10.1079/ab.2026.00041 PDF