FABIans gathered on the afternoon of 23 July to celebrate the first peer-reviewed journal publications from the MSc and PhD studies of nine students in the Institute. This tradition celebrates a milestone in every young researcher’s career and is the foundation on which FABI is built, high-quality research and publication output. Simoné Bornman , Taygen Fuchs , Frances Lane , Phrasia Mapfumo , Bianke Marx , Heike Möller , Preston Shaw , Chanel Thomas and Alida van Dijk were each given a small gift and, along with their supervisor gave a short overview of the paper and the journey to publishing it. Publications: Bornman S., D. Read , B.D. Wingfield , P.M. Wilken . 2026. Unveiling the hidden virome of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum : New tools and discoveries in mycovirus detection. Virology 623: 111020. 10.1016/j.virol.2026.111020 . Fuchs T., C.M. Visagie , B.D. Wingfield, M.J. Wingfield . 2026. Sporothrix and Sporotrichosis; A South African perspective on a growing global health threat. Mycoses 67(10): e13806. 10.1111/myc.13806 . Lane F.A., B.D. Wingfield, M.J. Wingfield, P.M. Wilken. 2026. Lineage-specific diversity of pheromone response pathway genes is independent of mating strategy in Ceratocystis . BMC Genomics 27: 320. 10.1186/s12864-026-12527-y . Mapfumo P., S. Buthelezi, E. Archer, D.Z.H. Zwanevelder, P.M. Wilken, N. Creux . 2024. In-field climatic factors driving Sclerotinia head rot progression across different sunflower planting dates. Plant Pathology 73(5): 1112-1126. 10.1111/ppa.13873 . Marx B., A. van Dijk, E.T. Steenkamp , M.J. Wingfield, B.D. Wingfield. 2026. Breaking the mould: Cellulose in the cell walls of the Ophiostomatales. Fungal Biology Reviews 57: 100489. 10.1016/j.fbr.2026.100489 . Möller H., B. Slippers , N. van den Berg . 2025. Branch canker battles: Understanding and managing the Botryosphaeriaceae in avocado. Phytoparasitica 53: 17. 10.1007/s12600-024-01227-6 . Shaw P.L., B. Slippers, B.D. Wingfield, B. Laurent, B. Penaud, M.J. Wingfield, P.W. Crous , W. Bihon , T.A. Duong . 2025. Chromosome-level genome assemblies for the latent pine pathogen, Diplodia sapinea , reveal two accessory chromosomes with distinct genomic features and evolutionary dynamics. Genes|Genomics|Genetics 15(12): jkaf239. 10.1093/g3journal/jkaf239 . Thomas C., P.M. Wilken, M.P.A. Coetzee , C.M. Visagie. 2026. Advancing the taxonomy of Sclerotinia (Helotiales, Sclerotiniaceae): A review and recommendations for an important plant pathogenic fungus. IMA Fungus 17: e175737. 10.3897/imafungus.17.175737 . van Dijk A., A.M. Wilson, B. Marx, B. Hough , B. Swalarsk-Parry , L. de Vos , M.J. Wingfield, B.D. Wingfield, E.T. Steenkamp. 2025. CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing reveals that the Pgs gene of Fusarium circinatum is involved in pathogenicity, growth and sporulation. Fungal Genetic Biology 10.1016/j.fgb.2025.103970 .