Busy week in the field for the TPCP
In the week of 4 March, the TPCP had three different field trips to the KwaZulu-Natal, Midlands.
14 Mar 2019
6 Mar 2019
Thirteen students join the CTHB Undergraduate Mentorship Programme in 2019
Thirteen undergraduate students will get their first taste of life as researchers as mentees in the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Tree Health Biotechnology’s undergraduate mentorship programme.
1 Mar 2019
Prof Steven Chown: Global leader in Antarctic Science and Biodiversity visits FABI
Professor Steven Chown of the School of Biological Sciences at Monash University in Australia visited FABI on the 27 February to engage with academic colleagues and students.
27 Feb 2019
A tree health engagement in Florida
Professor Mike Wingfield spent three days in Gainsville, Florida during the week of the 18 February. This short visit was in part to participate in a workshop seeking to promote forest health research in the southeastern United States.
26 Feb 2019
Fieldwork to understand the emerging Ceratocystis threat to Eucalyptus in South Africa
From 17-19 February, some members of the Ceratocystis team, Dr Irene Barnes, and TPCP students and Postdocs, Arista Fourie, Dr FeiFei Liu and Granny Hlongwane, went on a field trip to Kwambonambi, KwaZulu-Natal to observe the Ceratocystis infection on Eucalyptus hybrid clones in the plantations.
24 Feb 2019
Shot Hole borer projects launched in forests of the Southern Cape
During the past week, Prof. Wilhelm de Beer of FABI and Prof. Francois Roets from Stellenbosch University, visited the southern Cape to launch two research projects on the impact of the Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer (PSHB) on native trees in the area.
21 Feb 2019
Chinese student delegation visits FABI
FABI welcomed a student delegation from the Tsinghua University in Beijing on 20 February.
18 Feb 2019
FABI students do well at SA Botany Congress
During January a group of FABIans participated in the 45th Conference of the South African Association of Botanists (SAAB) which was held in conjunction with the Southern African Society for Systematics and Biosystematics (SASSB) and the African Mycological Association (AMA) on the campus of the University of Johannesburg.
15 Feb 2019
CFTPP research leader visits FABI
University of Pretoria Extra-ordinary Professor ShuaiFei Chen made a 10-day visit to FABI during February.
11 Feb 2019
FABIans strengthening collaboration between France and South Africa
The French Embassy organised a meeting of French academics working in South Africa on 8 February. This meeting aimed to connect French researchers from various fields and promote the expertise and innovation between the two countries.
5 Feb 2019
TPCP field extension services boosted by the appointment of Dr Trudy Paap
FABI is pleased to announce that Dr Trudy Paap has been appointed with effect from February to manage the field extension services of the Tree Protection Co-operative programme (TPCP), as well as to support the development of a national pest and disease monitoring and management system that links TPCP, Institute for Commercial Forestry Research (ICFR), Industry and Government resources.
1 Feb 2019
FABIans celebrate two prestige seminars in as many days
FeiFei Liu successfully defended her PhD thesis on 29 January, becoming the second FABIan this year to earn the title “Dr”. This after she presented her prestige seminar, titled “Species diversity and host associations of plant pathogenic Ceratocystis species in China”.
31 Jan 2019
FABIans attend orchids conference
FABI postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Tanay Bose and MSc student Ms. Modjadji Makwela presented their research at theWild Orchids Southern Africa (WOSA) Conference.
29 Jan 2019
Elrea Strydom presents the first prestige seminar at FABI in 2019
Elrea Strydom fulfilled all the requirements for a PhD degree after successfully defending her thesis on 28 January. She became the first FABIan in 2019 to achieve this accolade.
28 Jan 2019
FABI shines at SASPP meeting
The 2019 meeting of the Southern African Society for Plant Pathology (SASPP) took place on the West Coast, hosted by Stellenbosch University.
26 Jan 2019
Scouting for eucalyptus pests on the Cape Peninsula
In a first step towards understanding this problem, FABI Prof. Mike Wingfield undertook a preliminary survey of Eucalyptus trees in the greater Stellenbosch area, assisted by Dr. Mike Allsopp of the Agricultural Research Council, Plant Protection Research Institute.
22 Jan 2019
Mammoth inoculation trial of pine seedlings
Late in 2018, 14 FABIans banded together for the mammoth task of inoculating and disease assessment of 6,360 Pinus patula seedlings with 159 Fusarium circinatum isolates.
18 Jan 2019
Leaders in the TPCP outline strategy for the months ahead
Members of the Tree Protection Co-operative Programme(TPCP) met at the Future Africa campus on 17 January for a briefing on developments affecting the management and work done in the programme in 2019.
17 Jan 2019
FABIans herald 2019 at the Institute’s welcome breakfast and first Monday Morning Meeting
The excitement was palpable as FABI Director Professor Bernard Slippers welcomed staff and students to their first gathering in the Institute for 2019.
16 Jan 2019
Professor Mike Wingfield appointed Advisor to the UP Executive
The University of Pretoria (UP) has appointed FABI founding-Director Prof Mike Wingfield as Advisor to the Executive, reporting to Vice-Principal for Institutional Planning Prof Anton Ströh.
16 Jan 2019
Andi Wilson awarded FWIS Doctoral Fellowship
This year, 10 young women researchers, including FABI PhD candidate Andi Wilson - chosen from more than 500 applicants - were awarded Andi Wilson awarded FWIS Doctoral Fellowships, while a further two were awarded FWIS Postdoctoral Fellowships.
13 Dec 2018
FABIan participates in the first NRF-NSF funded Bark Beetle-Fungus Workshop in Florida, USA
A group of scientists from South Africa and the USA met at the University of Florida (UF), Gainesville, as part of a collaborative network that is jointly funded by the NRF and NSF.
9 Dec 2018
Shot Hole Borer invasion places FABI in the spotlight
The invasion of the tree-killing Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer (PSHB) in South Africa has gained wide attention in the printed and digital media over the past few months, not only in South Africa, but also abroad.
7 Dec 2018
FABI and CABI jointly host the first Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer Workshop in Africa
During the last week of November, a team of scientists from FABI under the leadership of Prof. Wilhelm de Beer hosted the first workshop in Africa specifically focused on the invasion of the Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer (PSHB).
6 Dec 2018
First publications celebrated
The Tree Protection Co-operative Programme (TPCP) celebrated the first publication of a paper in an ISI-rated scientific journal by a postgraduate student from the work of either their PhD or MSc at a party on 26 November.
6 Dec 2018
Hat trick for FABI researchers
FABI Director Professor Bernard Slippers has joined Prof Mike Wingfield and Prof Pedro Crous on the list of highly cited researchers in the field of Plant and Animal Sciences for 2018.
5 Dec 2018
University of Pretoria Community Engagement photographic competition – winning photos by FABIans
The University of Pretoria had a University-wide (staff and students) photographic competition with the topic of "Community Engagement”.
5 Dec 2018
Runlei Chang rounds off a baker’s dozen of prestige seminars at FABI in 2018
Runlei Chang delivered the last prestige seminar of the year at FABI on 3 December, bringing the number of PhD theses completed at the Institute in 2018 to 13.
3 Dec 2018
A fungus painting gift to FABI
During a recent visit to Indonesia, a group of staff members and students of FABI were presented with a painting as a gift to FABI from Mr Rob Pallet, a previous member of the Board of the Tree Protection Co-operative Programme (TPCP) and now on the staff of the APRIL Forestry Group.
3 Dec 2018
RGE-FABI THP team returns
On Saturday 10 November, Dr Fahimeh Jami (Postdoctoral Fellow), Kira Lynn (M.Sc. student) and Nam Pham (Ph.D. student), returned to South Africa after spending almost two months in Sumatra.
30 Nov 2018
Expanding an understanding of South Africa’s mycodiversity
Five biologists from the Universities of Stellenbosch, Pretoria and the Free State including Prof Mike Wingfield of FABI, recently undertook a broadly-based mycological foray in the natural forests of the southern Cape.
29 Nov 2018
Professor Fanus Venter appointed as Deputy-Director of FABI
FABI Management is delighted with the appointment of Prof Fanus Venter as the Deputy Director of FABI. The position was created against the backdrop of the size and expansion of the Institute and the fact that Prof Bernard Slippers currently holds the Directorship of both FABI and Future Africa.
29 Nov 2018
An online DNA sequence database to support forest-pest management
The FIMT website serves as a tool for rapid identification of insects associated with forests, in particular Eucalyptus and Pinus species, and is intended to assist researchers and field-based scientists focussing on forest health.
29 Nov 2018
ESA 2018 Meeting in Vancouver
From 11-14 November the Entomological Society of America, the Entomological Society of Canada, and the Entomological Society of British Columbia held a join meeting in Vancouver. The meeting was attended by FABIan Prof Brett Hurley, who is currently on sabbatical in Canada.
28 Nov 2018
Prof André Drenth explores tree health issues in the Western Cape
Prof André Drenth of the University of Queensland and a close collaborator and advisor on many FABI projects recently joined Prof.
26 Nov 2018
FABIans complete the last tree planting exercise of 2018
Students and staff at FABI got their hands dirty and spent the morning on 23 November replanting 3,000 cuttings into potting bags at the FABI Nursery on the University of Pretoria’s experimental farm.