Ms Chanel Thomas
| PhD student | |
Department |
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Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology |
|
| This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
My Supervisor/s
| Primary Supervisor | |
| Markus Wilken | |
Co Supervisor |
|
| Brenda Wingfield |
I joined FABI in 2021 when I completed my BScHons degree in Genetics under the supervision of Dr Markus Wilken. My honours research looked into the mating strategies of species in the genus Sclerotinia, with a focus on the mating-type (MAT) locus that underpins sexual compatibility.
My Masters dissertation, entitled "Reconsidering the taxonomy of Sclerotinia with
special reference to S. sclerotiorum", was supervised by Dr Markus Wilken, and Profs Cobus Visage and Martin Coetzee. It focused on the relationships between Sclerotinia species and involved acquiring a reference sequence from the S. sclerotiorum type strain, which was nearly 190 years old.
At present, I am a PhD candidate in the Grain Research Program. My research is still centered around Sclerotinia, but will focus on using genomics and transcriptomics to understand the population dynamics and pathogenicity of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum.
News
Prof. Dave Berger presented three topics for the class of 20 PhD students from Scandinavia at this year’s NOVA PhD course in Plant Pathology.
My Journal Articles
| Publication |
|---|
| Aylward J, Wilson AM, Visagie CM, Spraker J, Barnes I, Buitendag C, Ceriani C, Del Mar Angel L, du Plessis D, Fuchs T, Gasser K, Krämer D, Li W, Munsamy K, Piso A, Price J-L, Sonnekus B, Thomas C, van der Nest A, van Dijk A, van Heerden A, van Vuuren N, Yilmaz N, Duong TA, van der Merwe NA, Wingfield MJ, Wingfield BD. (2024) IMA Genome – F19: A genome assembly and annotation guide to empower mycologists, including annotated draft genome sequences of Ceratocystis pirilliformis, Diaporthe australafricana, Fusarium ophioides, Paecilomyces lecythidis, and Sporothrix stenoceras. IMA Fungus 15(1):12.
10.1186/s43008-024-00142-z |
| Bornman S, Thomas C, Ntladi S, Wilken PM. (2024) Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is the causal agent of Sclerotinia stem rot on peanut (groundnut) in South Africa. Australasian Plant Disease Notes 19
10.1007/s13314-024-00537-2 |
| 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 |