Congratulations to all the FABIans that were capped at the University of Pretoria’s Autumn Graduation. A bumper cohort of eight PhD, 17 MSc and 35 Honours students from FABI were capped – a wonderful achievement and testament to the research excellence in the Institute. FABI is also especially proud of Dr Khotso Mokhele, one of South Africa’s most distinguished science leaders, who received an Honorary Doctorate: Doctor of Science (honoris causa) on 8 May in recognition of his extraordinary intellectual and leadership contributions to science, higher education and innovation in South Africa and globally. He has, for the past 15 years, served as an advisor to the leadership of FABI, supporting the development of its Avocado Research Programme. This led to the creation of a Research Chair at UP, funded by the Hans Merensky Legacy Foundation, which Dr Mokhele chairs. PhD Dr Alicia Fick Thesis: Elucidation of avocado immune response activation in terms of NLR regulation and NLR-effector interactions Supervisor: Prof. N van den Berg Co-supervisor: Dr V Swart External co-supervisor: Prof. A Bombarely Gomez (Institute of Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, Spain) Dr Kira Lynn Thesis: Detection, dispersal and global distribution of Ceratocystis species on Eucalyptus Supervisor: Prof. I Barnes Co-supervisor: Prof. MJ Wingfield Dr Phinda Magagula Thesis : Exploring the rhizopshere microbiome and potential management strategies against Dematophora necatrix in avocado Supervisor: Prof. N van den Berg Co-supervisor: Dr V Swart Dr Phrasia Mapfumo Thesis: In-field climatic factors contributing to sunflower development and health across planting dates Supervisor: Dr NM Creux Co-supervisors: Prof. ERM Archer , Dr PM Wilken External co-supervisor: Dr ZH Swanevelder (Agricultural Research Council) Dr Jackson Muyobela Thesis: Distribution and phenotypic population structure of the tsetse flies Glossina morsitans morsitans Westwood and Glossina morsitans centralis Machado in Zambia Supervisor: Prof. CL Sole Co-supervisors: Prof. CWW Pirk , Prof. AA Yusuf Dr Manchela Ratsoma Thesis: Biofilms and extracellular vesicles in Fusarium circinatum Supervisor: Dr TE Motaung Co-supervisors: Prof. ET Steenkamp , Prof. BD Wingfield External co-supervisor: Dr QC Santana (Agricultural Research Council) Dr Myriam Solís Garcia Thesis: Factors affecting susceptibility of Eucalyptus to infection by Teratosphaeria destructans Supervisor: Prof. S Naidoo Co-supervisor: Prof. A Hammerbacher , Prof. MJ Wingfield Dr Joshua Tsamba Thesis: Patterns and drivers of plant and endophyte diversity on sub-Antarctic Marion Island Supervisor: Prof. M Greve Co-supervisors: Prof. B Slippers, Prof. PC le Roux MSc (* passed with distinction) Susanna Anbu * Dissertation: Functional characterization of candidate Persea americana nucleotide-binding leucine rich repeat (PaNLR) genes during Phytophthora cinnamomi infection Supervisor: Prof. N van den Berg Co-supervisor: Dr V Swart Katelyn Baird Dissertation: Identification and molecular characterisation of the necrosis- and ethylene-inducing peptide 1-like proteins (NLPs) of Phytophthora cinnamomi Supervisor: Prof. N van den Berg Janine Bisschoff Dissertation: Potential of new oomycides for the management of Phytophthora nicotianae in citrus nurseries and orchards in South Africa Supervisor: Prof. JE van der Waals Co-supervisor: Prof. TA Coutinho External co-supervisor: Dr JM van Niekerk ( Citrus Research International ) Gerhard Botha Dissertation: Characterisation of Macadamia flower blight in South Africa and efforts towards chemical control Supervisor: Dr G Fourie Co-supervisor: Prof. N van den Berg Iné Botha * Dissertation: Molecular studies to differentiate species in the endemic and medicinally important genus Greyia Supervisor: Prof. DK Berger Co-supervisors: Prof. N Lall , Dr MN de Canha Aaron Harvey * Dissertation: Characterisation of the WAK / WAKL gene family, with a focus on members in Persea americana implicated in defense against Phytophthora cinnamomi Supervisor: Dr V Swart Co-supervisor: Prof. N van den Berg Matthew Jackson * Dissertation: The population genetics and gene editing of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in South Africa Supervisor: Prof. B Slippers Co-supervisors: Prof. BP Hurley Prof. K Krüger Kyle Leeuwendaal Dissertation: A novel diagnostic approach to maize pathogens Supervisor: Dr L de Vos Co-supervisors: Prof. B Slippers, Prof. ET Steenkamp, Prof. BD Wingfield, Dr MA van der Nest Shalya Moodley Dissertation: Exploring the role of callose depositions in the resistance of Persea americana against root rot Supervisor: Dr V Swart Co-supervisor: Prof. N van den Berg Zinhle Nxumalo * Dissertation: Diversity and evolution of terpene synthase genes in Ascomycota Supervisor: Prof. MPA Coetzee Co-supervisor: Prof. AT Duong Boitshoko Rammuki * Dissertation: Molecular characterisation of RNA interference in Fusarium circinatum Supervisor: Prof. ET Steenkamp Co-supervisors: Prof. BD Wingfield, Dr TE Motaung External co-supervisor: Dr QC Santana (Agricultural Research Council) Lize Rostoll Dissertation: Efficacy of new oomycete fungicides and biological control agents for the management of Phytophthora root rot of citrus in South Africa Supervisor: Prof. JE van der Waals Co-supervisor: Prof. TA Coutinho External co-supervisor: Dr JM van Niekerk (Citrus Research International) Alinaswe Selebi Dissertation: Characterisation of the mating type locus and mating strategies in Cryphonectria species Supervisor: Prof. BD Wingfield Co-supervisors: Prof. MJ Wingfield, Dr NQ Pham Hannes Strydom * Dissertation: Modelling the population dynamics of CRISPR-Cas9 gene drive systems in Sirex noctilio Supervisor: Prof. B Slippers Co-supervisor: Prof. M Chapwanya External co-supervisor: Prof. R Ouifki (North-West University) Rudolph Strydom * Dissertation: The efficacy of various soil treatments and cover crops to reduce Spongospora subterranea f. sp. subterranea diseases and soil inoculum levels Supervisor: Prof. JE van der Waals Co-supervisor: Prof. JM Steyn Taponeswa Tasiya * Dissertation: Diversity and description of Bradyrhizobium species associated with invasive Acacia species in South Africa Supervisor: Prof. MPA Coetzee Co-supervisors: Prof. ET Steenkamp, Prof. SN Venter Anien Viljoen * Dissertation: Mitochondrial genomes from the Ceratocystidaceae and species boundaries in Ceratocystis Supervisor: Prof. A Duong Co-supervisors: Prof. BD Wingfield, Dr AM Kanzi BSC Hons (* passed with distinction) Caylee Benson Freddie Botha Janie Coetzer * Matthew Cosser Kyle Craninx * Aspen Downing Sam Eichhorn * Caitlyn English Kerryn Fourie * Jennifer Gomes de Freitas * Natalie Kapsosideris* Tshiamo Lesedi* Julia Lutz * Nokhutula Madekufamba* Bianke Marx * Tshwanelo Mathala Sokunene Mpupa Mandisa Mthombeni Promise Ndlovu JJ Nelson * Annabel Norval * Cloé Özdemir Deanné Raaths Michané Reutener Holly Rosenberg * Kaliwe Sindazi * James Smith Tolu Soogun Lizaan Taljaard Kananelo Thelejane Kayla Thomas * Unathi Tshabalala Anmari van Buuren * Jean van den Berg * Itha Wessels (Photos of Dr Mokhele courtesy of Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences)