• Geochemistry of terrestrial plants in the Central African copperbelt : implications for sediment hosted copper-cobalt exploration 

  Mukube, Pumulo; Hitzman, Murray; Machogo-Phao, Lerato; Syampungani, Stephen (MDPI, 2024-03-11)

  Mineral exploration has increasingly targeted areas covered by in situ or transported overburden for shallow to deep-seated orebodies. It remains critical to develop better means to detect the surficial chemical footprint ...
• Interactions of soil properties and dominant tree canopy species with vegetation recruitment within a mine wasteland of the Zambian Copperbelt 

  Owiny, Arthur A.; Chirwa, Paxie W.; Zekeng, Jules Christian; Mwamba, Theodore Mulembo; Syampungani, Stephen (Elsevier, 2025-03)

  Mine wastelands can affect soil’s properties, leading to stunted plant growth. However, little is known about the effect of different categories of soil parameters on plant recruitment under harsh conditions such as mine ...
• Predicting mire distribution using species distribution models : a case study of the sub-Antarctic Prince Edward Islands 

  Sadiki, Maleho Mpho; Greve, Michelle; Hansen, Christel D. (Cambridge University Press, 2024-12)

  Peatlands, covering approximately one-third of global wetlands, provide various ecological functions but are highly vulnerable to climate change, with their changes in space and time requiring monitoring. The sub-Antarctic ...
• Fungal pathogens on Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) and French broom (Genista monspessulana) from Chile 

  Balocchi, Felipe; Sanfuentes, Eugenio A. (Wiley, 2024-12)

  Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) and French broom (Genista monspessulana) are two woody legumes native to Europe and North Africa that have become invasive in different countries around the world. In Chile, they are among ...
• Notes on morphological characteristics and life history strategy of the genus Acanthopsis Harv. (Acanthaceae) 

  Steyn, Hester Maria; Van Wyk, Abraham Erasmus (Braam) (South African National Biodiversity Institute, 2024)

  BACKGROUND: Morphological characteristics and life history strategies are vital in the success of plants to inhabit specific areas. Until recently the genus Acanthopsis was taxonomically poorly understood, and a recent ...
• The effect of a poly-herbal plant extract on the adhesion of streptococcus mutans to tooth enamel 

  Henley-Smith, Cynthia J.; Kok, Anna-Mari; Botha, Francien Susanna; Baker, Chantelle; Lall, Namrita (BMC, 2024-11)

  BACKGROUND: Dental caries, also known as tooth decay or cavity formation, is one of the world’s most widespread dental conditions. It is a plaque-related infection caused mainly by Streptococcus mutans. People have relied ...
• Urban forest and sustainability : the historical perspective of Limbe in the southwest region of Cameroon 

  Lekah, Atebeh Uta-Rein; Chirwa, Paxie W.; Mala, William Armand (Taylor and Francis, 2024)

  Projected rapid urbanisation and climate change will increase the risk of natural disasters in fragile coastal African cities. Strategically planning and managing the urban forest can help to build resilience. This study ...
• Evaluating machine learning models and identifying key factors influencing spatial maize yield predictions in data intensive farm management 

  Maseko, Simphiwe Khulekani; Van der Laan, Michael; Tesfamariam, Eyob Habte; Delport, Marion; Otterman, H. (Elsevier, 2024-07)

  Understanding the relationships between crop yields, soil properties, weather patterns and input applications is important for optimizing agricultural production. Data variation analysis using statistical and machine ...
• Genomic evaluation of multidrug-resistant extended-spectrum β-Lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli from irrigation water and fresh produce in South Africa : a cross-sectional analysis 

  Richter, Loandi; Duvenage, Stacey; Du Plessis, Erika Margarete; Msimango, Thabang; Dlangalala, Manana; Mathavha, Muneiwa Tshidino; Molelekoa, Tintswalo; Kgoale, Degracious M. (American Chemical Society, 2024-08)

  Escherichia coli, both commensal and pathogenic, can colonize plants and persist in various environments. It indicates fecal contamination in water and food and serves as a marker of antimicrobial resistance. In this ...
• Microbial diversity in the arid and semi-arid soils of Botswana 

  Coetzee, Tidimalo; Ortiz, Maximiliano; Jordaan, Karen; Lebre, Pedro H.; Olivier, Bernard; Greve, Michelle; Oagile, Dikinya; Cowan, Don A. (Wiley, 2024-12)

  To date, little research has been conducted on the landscape-scale distribution of soil microbial communities and the factors driving their community structures in the drylands of Africa. We investigated the influence of ...
• Mapping tree canopy thermal refugia for birds using biophysical models and LiDAR 

  Strydom, Lara Heleen; Conradie, Shannon Rose; Smit, Izak P.J.; Greve, Michelle; Boucher, Peter B.; Davies, Andrew Byron; McKechnie, Andrew E. (Springer, 2025)

  Please read abstract in the article.
• Effect of rainfall interception and resting period on the soil seed bank 

  Magandana, Thabo Patrick; Hassen, Abubeker; Tesfamariam, Eyob Habte (Frontiers Media, 2024-07)

  The ecosystems across the world are affected by diverse impacts of climate change. Climate change will also affect soil seed bank as the seed bank is determined by the plants that are above the ground. This study was ...
• Measurement and modelling of Moringa transpiration for improved irrigation management 

  Ndayakunze, Ambroise; Steyn, Joachim Martin; Du Plooy, Christiaan Phillipus; Araya, N.A. (Elsevier, 2024-12)

  A greater understanding of Moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.) transpiration (T) can assist in the development of accurate irrigation management tools. This study aimed at quantifying Moringa T by measuring and modelling the ...
• Defining brightness-shape-moisture soil parameters for southern Africa from hyperion hyperspectral imagery 

  Bonnet, Wessel; Cho, Moses Azong; Masemola, Cecilia (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 2024-08)

  An effective methodology is needed to simulate soil spectra on a large scale. The brightness-shape-moisture (BSM) radiative transfer model (RTM) is used to simulate soil spectra for different semiarid and arid biomes within ...
• Endemic darling or global change menace? A review of the woody encroacher Leucosidea sericea on the eastern Great Escarpment of southern Africa 

  Gwate, Onalenna; Dlomu, Muxe G.; Toucher, Michele Lynn; Le Roux, Peter Christiaan; Martin, Grant D.; Clark, Vincent Ralph (Elsevier, 2024-11)

  Rapid woody encroachment by native species is transforming grasslands and savannas across the world. The drivers of this encroachment are diverse, complex, and potentially interlinked, including fire exclusion, overgrazing, ...
• Current status of community resources and priorities for weed genomics research 

  Montgomery, Jacob; Morran, Sarah; MacGregor, Dana R.; McElroy, J. Scott; Neve, Paul; Neto, Célia; Vila‑Aiub, Martin M.; Sandoval, Maria V.; Menéndez, Analia I.; Kreiner, Julia M.; Fan, Longjiang; Caicedo, Ana L.; Maughan, Peter J.; Martins, Bianca A.B.; Mika, Jagoda; Collavo, Alberto; Merotto Jr., Aldo; Subramanian, Nithya K.; Bagavathiannan, Muthukumar V.; Cutti, Luan; Islam, Md. Mazharul; Gill, Bikram S.; Cicchillo, Robert; Gast, Roger; Soni, Neeta; Wright, Terry R.; Zastrow‑Hayes, Gina; May, Gregory; Malone, Jenna M.; Sehgal, Deepmala; Kaundun, Shiv S.; Dale, Richard P.; Vorster, Barend Juan; Peters, Bodo; Lerchl, Jens; Tranel, Patrick J.; Beffa, Roland; Fournier‑Level, Alexandre; Jugulam, Mithila; Fengler, Kevin; Llaca, Victor; Patterson, Eric L.; Gaines, Todd A. (BioMed Central, 2024-05)

  Weeds are attractive models for basic and applied research due to their impacts on agricultural systems and capacity to swiftly adapt in response to anthropogenic selection pressures. Currently, a lack of genomic information ...
• The City of Tshwane Agri-parks initiative as a case study for the sustainable intensification of smallholder agriculture in South Africa 

  Hay, Richard Lee (University of Pretoria, 2023)

  Over the next decade, sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is predicted to experience the largest relative population increase of any subcontinent. The region is already greatly impoverished and the least food secure in the world, ...
• Historical perspective on 120 years of agriculture : highlights from research published in the SAJS 

  Coutinho, Teresa A.; Van der Waals, Jacqueline Elise (Academy of Science of South Africa, 2024-11)

  Agriculture, an essential pillar of South Africa’s economy, has evolved through a century of scientific advancements. This Perspective highlights the significant research contributions to the improvement of citrus and ...
• Marijordaania (Celastraceae: Cassinoideae), a new monotypic genus from South Africa 

  Van Wyk, Abraham Erasmus (Braam); Boon, Richard G.C. (Meise Botanic Garden and Royal Botanical Society of Belgium, 2024-02)

  BACKGROUND AND AIMS : The species name Gymnosporia filiformis, validly published in a 1927 revision of South African Celastraceae, was based on syntypes representing both Maytenus cordata and a new species. Subsequent ...
• First report of Bipolaris yamadae and Exserohilum rostratum associated with leaf spots of maize (Zea mays) in Zambia 

  Tembo, Mathias; Mahlangu, Jabulile N.N.; Berger, David Kenneth; Chimutingiza, Hildah; Chikoti, Patrick C.; Prasanna, Boddupalli M.; Suresh, L.M.; Nsibo, David Livingstone (American Phytopathological Society, 2024-09)

  In March 2023, leaf spot symptoms characterized by ovoid, oblong lesions with a pale brown center and small and narrow linear lesions were observed in seed maize production fields in Mkushi District, Zambia. The symptoms ...

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