FABI congratulates the 13 FABIans that were capped at the University of Pretoria’s Spring Graduation Ceremony on 1 September. The Institute is proud of their achievements and we wish them well in their future endeavours. PhD Dr Caitlin Gevers Thesis: Changes in genetic diversity of Leptocybe invasa populations in South Africa and its impact on pest management Supervisor: Prof. BP Hurley Co-supervisors: Prof. B Slippers , Dr G Dittrich-Schröder Dr Mathew Harris Thesis: Spatial patterns of C4 grass-associated fungal endophyte communities Supervisor: Prof. M Greve Co-supervisor: Prof. B Slippers External co-supervisor: Dr M Kemler (University of Hamburg, Germany) Dr Darryl Herron Thesis: Fusarium diversity associated with Poaceae in the Pinus nursery and plantation environment Supervisor: Prof. ET Steenkamp Co-supervisors: Prof. BD Wingfield , Prof. MJ Wingfield , Dr N Yilmaz Dr Melissa Joubert Thesis: Investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying avocado sunblotch disease Supervisor: Dr V Swart Co-supervisors: Prof. J Theron, Prof. N van den Berg Internal examiner: Dr DA Read Dr Fanele Mnguni Thesis: Taxonomy and comparative genomics of bacterial species associated with onion bulb rot focusing on Rahnella species Supervisor: Prof. TA Coutinho External co-supervisor: Dr G-Y Shin (University of California, Davis, USA) Internal examiner: Dr KN Bophela-Dimpe Dr Mary Ranketse Thesis: Genome sequences and molecular resources for Macadamia tree breeding in South Africa Supervisor: Prof. AA Myburg Co-supervisors: Prof. G Fourie , Dr RE Pierneef External co-supervisor: Dr CA Hefer (AgResearch Ltd, New Zealand) Dr Garyn Townsend Thesis: Ecology, impact and potential parasitoids of the polyphagous shot hole borer Euwallacea fornicatus , in South African forests Supervisor: Prof. BP Hurley External co-supervisors: Prof. MP Hill (Rhodes University), Prof. F Roets (Stellenbosch University) MSc (* with distinction) Angelique de Wet Dissertation: Exploring the impact of agricultural practices, temperature, and CO 2 on potato health and soil microbiome biodiversity Supervisor: Prof. JE van der Waals Co-supervisors: Prof. TA Coutinho, Prof. JM Steyn, Dr PH Bixirao Neto Marinho Lebre Taygen Fuchs * Dissertation: Sporothrix schenckii and its possible origins in South Africa Supervisor: Prof. BD Wingfield Co-supervisors: Prof. CM Visagie , Prof. MJ Wingfield Thembeka Mkhize Dissertation: Exploring alternative pest management options for Bathycoelia distincta in Macadamia orchards Supervisor: Prof. G Fourie Co-supervisors: Prof. B Slippers, Prof. SN Venter Sinethemba Nkosi * Dissertation: CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing towards the resistance to Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) in banana Supervisor: Dr TE Motaung External co-supervisor: Dr T Mahlanza (Agricultural Research Council) Anja Piso * Dissertation: Population structure and diversity of two pine needle pathogens in Colombia Supervisor: Prof. I Barnes Co-supervisor: Prof. MJ Wingfield Mondli Xaba Dissertation: Draft long read assembly of the Acacia mearnsii genome Supervisor: Prof. S Naidoo Co-supervisors: Prof. AT Duong , Prof. F Joubert, Prof. AA Myburg