FABI celebrated the capping of five PhD and 14 MSc graduates at the University of Pretoria’s Spring Graduation on 8 September. Congratulations to all the graduates on this achievement and we wish them well in their future endeavors. Listed below is a list of the graduates conferred degrees and the titles of their dissertation. PhD Jane Chepsergon Thesis: Identification and functional characterization of short linear motifs (SLiMs) of Phytophthora parasitica var nicotianae “Core” RxLR effector proteins. Supervisor: Prof L.N. Moleleki Brigitte Langenhoven Thesis: Insights into northern leaf blight disease: investigating the Exserohilum turcicum - Sorghum bicolor interaction. Supervisor: Dr B.G. Crampton External co-supervisor: Dr S.L. Murray (Centre for Proteomic and Genomic Research) Lorraine Mhoswa Thesis: Genome-wide association study in Eucalyptus grandis for resistance to Leptocybe invasa . Supervisor: Prof. S. Naidoo Co-supervisors: Prof. A.A Myburg , Prof. B. Slippers Mmoledi Mphahlele Thesis: Genomic breeding for accelerated improvement of growth, wood properties and plant defence in Eucalyptus grandis . Supervisor: Prof. A.A. Myburg External co-supervisors: Prof. G.R. Hodge (North Carolina State University, United States of America), Prof. F. Isik (North Carolina State University, United States of America) Vongai Paradza Thesis: Development of effective biopesticides against Greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in tomato and French bean . Supervisor: Prof. A.A. Yusuf External co-supervisors: Dr K.S. Akutse (International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Kenya), Dr F.M. Khamis (International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Kenya) MSc Desiree Biya Dissertation: Diversity of fumonisin-producing Aspergillus and Fusarium species in maize collected in South Africa. Supervisor: Prof. L.N. Moleleki External co-supervisors: Dr E. Ncube (Agricultural Research Council), Dr M. Truter (Agricultural Research Council) Hamish Craze Dissertation: The use of deep learning for identification of grey leaf spot in maize with mixed diseases under field conditions. Supervisor: Prof. D.K. Berger Co-supervisors: Prof. F. Joubert, Prof. N. Pillay Stefan Ferreira Dissertation: The role of transketolase and transaldolase in carbon partitioning to lignin in Arabidopsis thaliana . Supervisor: Prof. E. Mizrachi Co-supervisors: Prof. A.A. Myburg, Dr V.J. Maloney Leandri Klynsmith (with Distinction) Dissertation: Functional characterisation of Sirex noctilio chemosensation genes. Supervisor: Prof. B. Slippers Co-supervisors: Dr J.D. Allison , Dr T.A. Duong , Ms. A Postma Smidt Christopher Liakos (with Distinction) Dissertation: Bacterial microbiome of healthy and diseased storage onion bulbs from Washington State, USA. Supervisors: Prof. T.A. Coutinho Co-supervisors: Prof. J.E. van der Waals , Dr P.H. Bixirao Neto Marinho Lebre Mabodiba Maake (with Distinction) Dissertation: Diversity of Bradyrhizobium and Mesorhizobium strains associated with root nodules of indigenous South African legumes. Supervisor: Prof. S.N. Venter Co-supervisor: Prof E.T. Steenkamp Aaron Maringa (with Distinction) Dissertation: Investigating the adhesion of encysted zoospores of the oomycete Phytophthora cinnamomi during the early infection of avocado. Supervisor: Prof. N. van den Berg Co-supervisor: Dr V. Swart Celiwe Nxumalo Dissertation: Functional characterization of Phytophthora parasitica PpRxLR1 and PpRxLR6 effectors in Nicotiana benthamiana . Supervisor: Prof. L.N. Moleleki Trystan Nadasen (with Distinction) Dissertation: Transient expression of two Cercospora zeina fungal effectors in Nicotiana benthamiana . Supervisor: Prof. D.K. Berger Co-supervisor: Prof. I. Hein Cindy Ramokgano Dissertation: Diversity of endophytic fungi associated with branches of Berchemia discolor in the Limpopo province of South Africa. Supervisor: Prof. M.P.A. Coetzee Co-supervisor: Prof. E.T. Steenkamp Cassandra Schoeman (with Distinction) Dissertation: The Encephalartos natalensis -cyanobacterial coralloid root partnership for nitrogen acquisition. Supervisor: Prof E Mizrachi Co-supervisors: Prof TP Makhalanyane, Dr D Roodt Medha Sood (with Distinction) Dissertation: Structure-function relationship between plastid morphology and carbon partitioning during secondary cell wall synthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana . Supervisor: Prof. E. Mizrachi Co-supervisors: Prof. V. van Staden, Dr V.J. Maloney, Dr D.S. Pinard Zorada Swart (with Disctinction) Dissertation: Characterisation of Deladenus siricidicola genes potentially involved in parasitism and host immunomodulation. Supervisor: Prof. B. Slippers Co-supervisors: Prof. B.D. Wingfield , Dr T.A. Duong, Ms. A. Postma Smidt Lenteli van Zyl (with distinction) Dissertation: Production of defensive metabolites by Pinus patula x Pinus tecunumanii hybrids in response to Fusarium circinatum infection. Supervisor: Prof. A. Hammerbacher Co-supervisors: Prof. E.T. Steenkamp, Dr F.F. Fru