FABI News
22 Apr 2025
FABIans enjoy an Easter Tea
FABIans took some time off to enjoy the traditional annual Easter Tea on the morning of 16 April.
18 Apr 2025
Congratulations to Tanay Bose on receiving his Y1 NRF rating
Congratulations to Dr Tanay Bose on receiving his Y1 rating from the NRF.
17 Apr 2025
FABI's Prof. Irene Barnes presents her inaugural address
Professor Irene Barnes presented her inaugural address in the University of Pretoria’s Senate Chamber on 9 April, marking the inauguration of her acceptance as a full Professor.
16 Apr 2025
FABI participates in the Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute's Spring Symposium
Prof. Cobus Visagie represented FABI at the recent Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute's Spring Symposium.
16 Apr 2025
Congratulations to Chris Weldon on being promoted to a full Professor!
Congratulations to Prof. Chris Weldon on presented his inaugural lecture as full Professor.
FABI in a nutshell
Research Features
Review emphasizes the importance of understanding the genetics of sex determination for effective genetic pest management in insects.
Eleven new Penicillium and Talaromyces species discovered in South African culture collections.
A new study reveals the presence of Mycotoxins in Eastern Cape maize in South Africa.
Eurotiales update: FABIans Prof. Cobus Visagie and Dr Neriman Yilmaz and their collaborators have published a review of recently described Eurotiales species, including the economically important Aspergillus, Penicillium, Paecilomyces and Talaromyces.
Da Vinci's Yeast: FABIans Prof. Cobus Visagie, Dr Neriman Yilmaz, and their collaborators have recently described and named a newly discovered yeast species of the famous Italian painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect Leonardo da Vinci.
The potential economic impact of the PSHB invasion in South Africa has been calculated to be a massive R275 billion over the next ten years, if nothing is done to stop the spread of this invasive beetle. Researchers from FABI collaborated with Stellenbosch University ecologists and economists to model the unmitigated economic impact of this invasion.
A recently published paper in the journal Current Forestry Reports documents a collaboration between an international team of forest pathologists and invasion scientists. Led by Dr Trudy Paap, the authors present a framework for conceptualizing and managing invasive forest pathogens.
A recently published review article by Dr Andi Wilson in a special issue of the journal 'Microbiology & Molecular Biology Reviews' provides details of the genes that are essential to the sexual cycle in filamentous Ascomycete fungi and further describes their functions in a variety of model and non-model species.
Penicillium section Canescentia re-evaluated and five new species described from the fynbos biome in South Africa.
In November 2019, the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology hosted a workshop on ‘Frameworks used in Invasion Science’. The workshop led to a NeoBiota special issue on this theme, and includes a review by FABI researchers and international colleagues, exploring frameworks in the context of forest pathology.
A doctoral study in FABI confirms for the first time the presence of Xylosandrus crassiusculus, a polyphagous ambrosia beetle and its fungal symbiont, Ambroseilla roeperi, in three provinces in South Africa. The authors warn that this beetle species could be a threat to native and plantation trees.
A review on invasive gall-forming wasps that threaten non-native Eucalyptus plantations by researchers in the TPCP appears in Agricultural and Forest Entomology. They profile several species of likely Australian origin that have established on non-native Eucalyptus plantations globally and discuss various challenges to their management.
A study in the TPCP confirms the identity of seven novel fungal species associated with Dendroctonus valens, the red turpentine beetle. The study follows on surveys on the fungal associates of the beetle in China and North America. Results from this work appear in Persoonia.
A postdoctoral study in the TPCP describes two novel Huntiella species in the African clade, bringing the number of known species in the genus to 31. Though closely related, the two species display different mating systems. Outcomes from this study appear in the journal MycoKeys.
A review of the invasion history and global management strategies of Eucalyptus snout beetles in the Gonipterus scutellatus species complex by researchers in the TPCP appears in the Journal of Pest Science.
In a collaborative venture with Dr Jos Houbraken (Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, the Netherlands), Prof. Cobus M Visagie, Dr Neriman Yilmaz (both from FABI) and others have recently completed and published a major study updating the taxonomy of the Eurotiales.
A study in the Forest Molecular Genetics (FMG) Programme at FABI interrogates the benefits of implementing genomic selection for growth and wood quality traits in an established Eucalyptus grandis breeding programme in South Africa. Outcomes from this study appear in an article.
The first study on alternative weed and cultivated hosts of Spongospora subterraneaf. sp. subterranea (Sss), in southern Africa identifies two species as ideal trap crops for rotation with potatoes. The study also introduces three new families to the known hosts of Sss in the region.
A consortium of microbiologists from around the globe, FABI included, is pushing for an overhaul in how scientific names are assigned to uncultivated bacteria and archaea. Despite their ecological, agricultural and medical importance, these organisms traditionally have not been recognized by the international body governing the nomenclature of prokaryotes.
Professor Cobus Visagie is a researcher in the Applied Mycology group at FABI. One of the group’s research goals is to discover fungal diversity in South Africa, and Cobus’ research is strongly focussed on the economically important genera Aspergillus, Penicillium and Talaromyces.
Postdoctoral research by Dr Norman Muzhinji in the Potato Pathology Programme at the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI) sheds light on the genetic structure and diversity of Spongospora subterranea f. sp. subterranea in four potato-growing regions in South Africa, providing valuable insights on its management.
An MSc study by Kira Lynn in the RGE-FABI Tree Health Programme at the University of Pretoria has described a new Fusarium species, Fusarium rekanum sp. nov., associated with Euwallacea perbrevis, an ambrosia beetle species infesting Acacia crassicarpa plantations in Riau, Indonesia.
FABI postdoctoral Fellow Dr Andi Wilson has established a CRISPR-Cas9-based genome editing protocol for use in Huntiella omanensis, a tree-inhabiting fungus belonging to the Ceratocystidaceae family.
Research undertaken as part of a PhD study by Molly Malefo at the University of Pretoria’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences and Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute sheds more light on the role of protease inhibitors in plants under drought stress.
The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) has funded a postdoctoral research project dedicated to monitoring plant health in botanical gardens and arboreta across South Africa. Two postdoctoral Fellows at the University of Pretoria’s Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute have held these fellowships.
The first comprehensive study mapping the distribution and genetic diversity of invasive Eucalyptus insect pests in sub-Saharan Africa confirms the presence of five major foliage-feeding species in 14 countries. The results of this study have implications on the quarantine, future research and management of these pests on the continent and beyond.
Dr Joey Hulbert broke new ground when he became the first candidate at the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute to complete a PhD study incorporating citizen science. Citizen science is an approach that involves members of the public as active participants in scientific research.
FABI technology unravels the genetics behind fungal genome evolution The RIPper is a bioinformatics tool for the for quantifying genome-wide RIP mutations in fungal genomes. The strength of this software lies in the automation of laborious techniques to study the mutation process called Repeat-Induced Point mutations (RIP). The RIPper applies these technique
With the increased availability in genome data, inferences regarding evolutionary relationships among taxa can now be performed on a genome-wide scale. But it is widely accepted that not all parts of such massive datasets support the same evolutionary hypothesis. Because of this, a group of researchers at FABI recently investigated the effect of this.
The use of genome data to characterize species and elucidate relationships, particularly between problematic taxa, has become routine practice in bacteria. Recently, researchers from FABI joined in an international effort to describe two novel genera and characterize these within the larger context of the important bacterial group Burkholderia.
A PhD student in FABI, Runlei Chang, has discovered and described 19 new fungal species from China as part of the research for his thesis. These fungi are all associated with conifer-infesting bark beetles and their mites and belong to well-known genera such as Ophiostoma and Leptographium.
Two research papers from FABI were selected as cover stories in two consecutive issues of the international journal, Plant Pathology. The journal is published by Wiley for the British Society of Plant Pathology.
Plastids play an integral role in wood formation, and yet they are routinely ignored in the study of xylogenesis in forest trees. Desre Pinard and Dr Eshchar Mizrachi have published a review highlighting the unique biology of plastids in wood, suggesting that a new type of plastid, the xylopast, exists.
Approaches for characterizing metabolic potential from genomic sequences have previously been predicted to be useful in the description of bacterial taxa. Dr Marike Palmer, has recently employed these approaches for identifying biological processes contributing to the divergence of bacteria with a variety of lifestyles.
Comparative genomics is shaping our notion of what fungal species are. Based on current data, these unique evolutionary units are separated from one another by boundaries that are porous under certain conditions. This affects our expectations regarding their population biology and evolution, and our strategies for recognizing and controlling them.
The Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer is an ambrosia beetle native to Southeast Asia. In 2017 this pest was detected in South Africa. Its presence has since been confirmed in all provinces except Limpopo. The beetle has a symbiotic relationship with the fungus Fusarium euwallaceae, which causes branch die-back and death of susceptible trees.
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Director of FABI |
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| Prof | Mike Wingfield | FABI |
Academic Staff and Research Leaders |
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| Prof | Terry Aveling | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Prof | Dave Berger | Plant Science |
| Dr | Martin Coetzee | Genetics |
| Prof | Teresa Coutinho | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Dr | Bridget Crampton | Plant Sciences |
| Dr | Wilhelm de Beer | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Dr | Jeff Garnas | Zoology and Entomology |
| Dr | Brett Hurley | Zoology and Entomology |
| Prof | Karl Kunert | Plant Science |
| Dr | Lucy Moleleki | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Prof | Zander Myburg | Genetics |
| Dr | Sanushka Naidoo | Genetics |
| Prof | Gerhard Pietersen | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Prof | Jolanda Roux | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Prof | Bernard Slippers | Genetics |
| Prof | Emma Steenkamp | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Dr | Noëlani van den Berg | Genetics |
| Prof | Fanus Venter | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Dr | Juan Vorster | Plant Production and Soil Science |
| Prof | Brenda Wingfield | Genetics |
| Dr | Albé van der Merwe | Genetics |
Support and Technical Staff |
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| Ms | Samantha Bush | Research Assistant |
| Ms | Vivienne Clarence | Laboratory Manager |
| Ms | Elna Cowley | Laboratory Manager |
| Ms | Helen Doman | Office Administrator |
| Ms | Heidi Fysh | Database Administrator |
| Ms | Izette Greyling | Extension Officer |
| Ms | Jenny Hale | Office Administrator |
| Ms | Marlene Harney | Technical Assistant |
| Mr | Hardus Hatting | Technical Assistant |
| Ms | Pritty Khumalo | Technical Assistant |
| Ms | Adrene Laubscher | Technical Assistant |
| Ms | Grieta Mahlangu | Technical Assistant |
| Ms | Martha Mahlangu | Office Administrator |
| Dr | Seonju Marincowitz | Research Assistant |
| Mr | Guelor Mayonde | Research Assistant |
| Mr | Eshchar Mizrachi | Research Assistant |
| Ms | Eva Muller | Office Administrator |
| Ms | Valentina Nkosi | Technical Assistant |
| Ms | Marja O'Neill | Research Assistant |
| Mr | Nicky Olivier | Technical Assistant |
| Ms | Alisa Postma | PhD Student |
| Ms | Patience Ralikonyana | Technical Assistant |
| Mrs | Marié Theron | Information Specialist |
| Ms | Lydia Twala | Technical Assistant |
| Ms | Madelein van Heerden | Office Administrator |
| Ms | L'Zanne J. van Rensburg | Technical Assistant |
| Ms | Maretha van der Merwe | Technical Assistant |
| Ms | Adri Veale | Research Assistant |
Post-doctoral Fellows |
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| Dr | Irene Barnes | Genetics |
| Dr | Maryke Carstens | Plant Science |
| Dr | Pieter de Maayer | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Dr | Lieschen de Vos | Genetics |
| Dr | Martin Kemler | Genetics |
| Dr | Boney Kuriakose | Plant Science |
| Dr | Gaby Mbanjo | Genetics |
| Dr | Sonia Phillips | Plant Science |
| Dr | Pedro Romon Ochoa | Genetics |
| Dr | Chongxing Zhang | Genetics |
Doctoral Students |
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| Mr | Birhan Abate | Zoology and Entomology |
| Ms | Omotayo Adenigba | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Mr | Kwabena Baffoe | Zoology and Entomology |
| Mr | Marc Bouwer | Chemistry |
| Ms | Nicky Creux | Genetics |
| Ms | Elsie Cruywagen | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Mr | Dawit Degefu | Genetics |
| Ms | Gudrun Dittrich-Schröder | Genetics |
| Mr | Duong Anh Tuan | Genetics |
| Ms | Katrin Fitza | Genetics |
| Ms | Gerda Fourie | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Mr | Mesfin Gossa | Zoology and Entomology |
| Mr | Steven Hussey | Genetics |
| Ms | Fahimeh Jami | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Mr | Luke Jimu | Forest Science |
| Mr | Maythasith (Deer) Konkarn | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Ms | Jeanne Korsman | Plant Science |
| Mr | DongHyeon Lee | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Mr | Waheed Mahomed | Genetics |
| Ms | Jacoline Mans | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Mr | Michael Mbenoun | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Mr | James Mehl | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Mr | Alain Misse | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Mr | Osmond Mlonyeni | Zoology and Entomology |
| Mr | Eston Mutitu | Zoology and Entomology |
| Ms | Kershney Naidoo | Genetics |
| Ms | Ronishree Naidoo | Genetics |
| Mr | Friday Nweke | Plant Science |
| Ms | Sarai Olivier-Espejel | Zoology and Entomology |
| Mr | Edward Onkendi | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Mr | Alexander Osorio Romero | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Ms | Mmatshepho Phasha | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Mr | Priyen Pillay | Plant Science |
| Ms | Daniela Pineda | Zoology and Entomology |
| Ms | Alisa Postma | Bioinformatics |
| Mr | Quentin Santana | Genetics |
| Mr | Divine Shyntum | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Ms | Melissa Simpson | Genetics |
| Mr | Stephen Taerum | Zoology and Entomology |
| Mr | Stefan van Wyk | Plant Science |
| Ms | Elritha van Zyl | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Mr | Johan van der Linde | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Ms | Tania Weller-Stuart | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Mr | Markus Wilken | Genetics |
| Ms | Mingliang Yin | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
Masters Students |
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| Mr | Jon Ambler | Bioinformatics |
| Ms | Elrea Appelgryn | Genetics |
| Ms | Chrizelle Beukes | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Ms | Velushka Birkenbach | Plant Science |
| Mr | Francois Boshoff | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Ms | Jane Boshoff | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Mr | Jonathan Botha | Genetics |
| Ms | Renate Botha | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Ms | Jane Bredenkamp | Plant Science |
| Ms | Megan Calvert | Genetics |
| Ms | Gabrielle Carstensen | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Ms | Wai Yin (Annie) Chan | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Ms | Vanessa Cronjé | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Mr | Herman de Bruin | Genetics |
| Ms | Marike du Plessis | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Ms | Juanita Engelbrecht | Genetics |
| Ms | Bianca Farrow | Genetics |
| Ms | Arista Fourie | Genetics |
| Mr | Felix Fru | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Mr | Jean Hakizimana | Genetics |
| Ms | Tracy Hall | Genetics |
| Mr | Darryl Herron | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Mr | Zander Human | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Mr | Godfrey Kgatle | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Ms | Nelly Khumalo | Genetics |
| Mr | Tondani Kone | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Ms | Gugulethu Kubheka | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Ms | Alinke Labuschagne | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Ms | Teboho Letsoalo | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Mr | Mkhululi Maphosa | Genetics |
| Ms | Olga Mashandule | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Ms | Silvia Maússe Sitoe | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Ms | Mamogwasha Moloto | Agricultural Research Counsil |
| Mr | Aobakwe Mongae | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Ms | Mischa Muller | Plant Science |
| Ms | Linda Ndove | Genetics |
| Ms | Caryn Oates | Genetics |
| Ms | Desre Pinard | Genetics |
| Mr | Rudi Pretorius | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Ms | Sitha Ramsuchit | Genetics |
| Mr | David Read | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Ms | Anandi Reitmann | Genetics |
| Ms | Melissa Reynolds | Genetics |
| Ms | Nicole Rudolph | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Mr | Thomas Schmidt | Plant Science |
| Ms | Christina Selowa | Genetics |
| Mr | Karabo Sereme | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Ms | Gi Yoon (Gina) Shin | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Ms | Siphathele (Phathie) Sibanda | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Ms | Janine Silberbauer | Genetics |
| Ms | Katie Termer | Zoology and Entomology |
| Ms | Sophia (Phia) van Coller | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Mr | Burger van Jaarsveld | Biochemistry |
| Ms | Lindsay van Niekerk | Genetics |
| Ms | Irene van Nugeteren | Plant Science |
| Mr | Barend J. van Vuuren | Genetics |
| Ms | Liesl van der Linden | Plant Science |
| Ms | Melanie van der Vaart | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Ms | Erika Viljoen | Plant Science |
| Ms | Ronel Viljoen | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Mr | Erik Visser | Genetics |
| Ms | Helen-Ann Walsh | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
| Ms | Febe Wilken | Genetics |
| Ms | Amy Wooding | Genetics |
| Mr | Olivier Zablocki | Microbiology and Plant Pathology |
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New Publications
Bose T, Wingfield MJ, Brachmann A, Witfeld F, Begerow D, Kemler M, Dovey S, Roux J, Slippers B, Vivas M, Hammerbacher A. (2025) Removal of organic biomass in Eucalyptus plantations has a greater impact on fungal than on bacterial networks. Forest Ecology and Management 586:122734.
10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122734
Maduke N, Slippers B, Van der Linde E, Wingfield M, Fourie G. (2025) Botryosphaeriaceae associated with racemes, fruits and leaves of macadamia in South Africa. Plant Pathology 0:1–15:1–15.
10.1111/ppa.14107
Knoppersen RS, Bose T, Coutinho TA, Hammerbacher A. (2025) Inside the Belly of the Beast: Exploring the Gut Bacterial Diversity of Gonipterus sp. n. 2. Microbial Ecology 88:27.
10.1007/s00248-025-02524-1
Bose T, Roux J, Titshall L, Dovey SB, Hammerbacher A. (2025) Mulching of post-harvest residues and delayed planting improves fungal biodiversity in South African Eucalyptus plantations and enhances plantation productivity. Applied Soil Ecology 210:106091.
10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106091
Wychkuys KA, Giron E, Hyman G, Barona E, Castro-Llanos FA, Sheil D, Yu L, Du Z, Hurley BP, Slippers B, Germishuizen I, Bojacá CR, Rubiano M, Sathyapala S, Verchot L, Zhang W. (2025) Biological control protects carbon sequestration capacity of plantation forests. Entomologia Generalis
10.1127/entomologia/2025/3015 