• Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the white root rot pathogen Dematophora necatrix (Xylariaceae: Xylariales) 

  Van der Nest, Magrieta Aletta; Steenkamp, Emma Theodora; De Vos, Lieschen; Wienk, Raven; Swart, Velushka; Van den Berg, Noelani (Taylor and Francis Group, 2024)

  The mitochondrial genome of Dematophora necatrix is 121,350 base pairs in length with a GþC content of 30.19%. Phylogenetic analysis showed that D. necatrix grouped with other members of the Xylariaceae, with which its ...
• Four new Geosmithia species from bark beetles infesting indigenous South African trees 

  Aylward, Janneke; Marincowtiz, Seonju; Basson, Renier Johannes; Rippon, William; Wingfield, Michael J.; Roets, Francois (Elsevier, 2024-12)

  Over the past two decades, numerous Geosmithia fungi have been isolated from the bodies and galleries of wood–boring beetles. However, this genus of asexual Sordariomycetes remains taxonomically and ecologically understudied, ...
• New simple sequence repeat markers reveal undetected diversity in Spanish and Californian Diplodia sapinea populations 

  Vilanova, Laura; Caballol, Maria; Zhang, Ke; Olson, Åke; Barnes, Irene; Wingfield, Michael J.; Oliva, Jonas (Elsevier, 2024-12)

  Diplodia sapinea is the causal agent of Diplodia shoot blight, an emerging disease affecting pine forests world wide. The range expansion of this pathogen in northern Europe has been suggested to be partially facilitated ...
• Describing and characterizing the WAK/WAKL gene family across plant species : a systematic review 

  Harvey, Aaron Thomas; Van den Berg, Noelani; Swart, Velushka (Frontiers Media, 2024-11)

  Wall-associated kinases (WAKs) and WAK-likes (WAKLs) are transmembrane pectin receptors which have seen rising interest in recent years due to their roles in stress responses and developmental pathways. Consequently, the ...
• Enhancing maize drought and heat tolerance : single vs combined plant growth promoting rhizobacterial inoculation 

  Notununu, Iviwe; Moleleki, Lucy N.; Roopnarain, Ashira; Adeleke, Rasheed Adegbola (Frontiers Media, 2024-12)

  Maize (Zea mays L.), a key staple crop in Sub-Saharan Africa, is particularly vulnerable to concurrent drought and heat stress, which threatens crop yield and food security. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) ...
• An ANI gap within bacterial species that advances the definitions of intra-species units 

  Rodriguez-R, Luis M.; Conrad, Roth E.; Viver, Tomeu; Feistel, Dorian J.; Lindner, Blake G.; Lindner, Blake G.; Venter, S.N. (Stephanus Nicolaas); Orellana, Luis H.; Amann, Rudolf I.; Rossello-Mora, Ramon; Konstantinidis, Konstantinos T. (American Society for Microbiology, 2024-01)

  Large-scale surveys of prokaryotic communities (metagenomes), as well as isolate genomes, have revealed that their diversity is predominantly organized in sequence-discrete units that may be equated to species. Specifically, ...
• Characterization of the Fusarium circinatum biofilm environmental response role 

  Ratsoma, Manchela Francinah; Mokoena, Nthabiseng Z.; Santana, Quentin C.; Wingfield, Brenda D.; Steenkamp, Emma Theodora; Motaung, Thabiso Eric (Wiley, 2024-04)

  The capacity to form biofilms is a common trait among many microorganisms present on Earth. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that the fatal pine pitch canker agent, Fusarium circinatum, can lead a biofilm-like ...
• Understanding cargo sorting and interactive effects of membrane vesicles in fungal phytopathogens : current knowledge and research gaps 

  Ratsoma, Manchela Francinah; Santana, Quentin C.; Wingfield, Brenda D.; Steenkamp, Emma Theodora; Motaung, Thabiso Eric (Elsevier, 2025-03)

  Organisms from all kingdoms of life release membrane vesicles, which are tiny, spherical structures made of a lipid bilayer. These vesicles carry out several functions, such as forming new cell membranes, removing waste ...
• Regional adaptation of integrated pest management to control invasive forest insects 

  Stastny, Michael; Corley, Juan C.; Allison, Jeremy D. (Wiley, 2025)

  Globalization is increasing the threat of invasive forest insects to ecosystems. Control efforts against the same pest species progressively occur across distant jurisdictions as integrated pest management (IPM) programs ...
• Unlocking wheat drought tolerance : the synergy of omics data and computational intelligence 

  Le Roux, Marlon-Schylor L.; Kunert, Karl J.; Cullis, Christopher A.; Botha, Anna-Maria (Wiley, 2024-11)

  Currently, approximately 4.5 billion people in developing countries consider bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) as a staple food crop, as it is a key source of daily calories. Wheat is, therefore, ranked the second most ...
• 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 ...
• Evaluation of pheromone lures, trap designs and placement heights for monitoring the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in maize fields of Kenya 

  Sisay, Birhanu; Subramanian, Sevgan; Weldon, Christopher William; Kruger, Kerstin; Khamis, Fathiya; Tefera, Tadele; Torto, Baldwyn; Tamiru, Amanuel (Elsevier, 2024-02)

  The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), is a damaging crop pest that has recently invaded and established across Africa from its native tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. To develop ...
• Identification and characterization of mycoviruses in transcriptomes from the fungal family ceratocystidaceae 

  Hough, Bianca; Wingfield, Michael J.; Read, David Alan (Springer, 2024-12)

  Mycoviruses pervade the fungal kingdom, yet their diversity within various fungal families and genera remains largely unexplored. In this study, 10 publicly available fungal transcriptomes from Ceratocystidaceae were ...
• First report of Fusarium wilt and pink rot of Phoenix canariensis in South Africa 

  Balocchi, Felipe; Wingfield, Michael J.; Paap, Trudy (Wiley, 2024-12)

  Canary Island date palm, Phoenix canariensis, is a popular ornamental species commonly planted in urban areas worldwide, including South Africa. In November 2023, symptoms typical of Fusarium wilt were detected on ornamental ...
• The effect of larval exposure to heavy metals on the gut microbiota composition of adult Anopheles arabiensis (Diptera: Culicidae) 

  Singh, Ashmika; Misser, Shristi; Allam, Mushal; Chan, Wai Yin; Ismail, Arshad; Munhenga, Givemore; Oliver, Shüné V. (MDPI, 2024-10-21)

  Anopheles arabiensis is a highly adaptable member of the An. gambiae complex. Its flexible resting behaviour and diverse feeding habits make conventional vector control methods less effective in controlling this species. ...
• Characterization of the tissue and strain-specific microbiota of Anopheles funestus giles (Diptera: Culicidae) 

  Chen, Chia-Yu; Chan, Wai Yin; Ismail, Arshad; Oliver, Shune V. (MDPI, 2024-04-13)

  The mosquito microbiota is a critical determinant of mosquito life history. It is therefore a target for novel vector control strategies like paratransgenesis. However, the microbiota in Anopheles funestus, a major African ...
• Fungal species and mycotoxins associated with maize ear rots collected from the Eastern Cape in South Africa 

  Price, Jenna-Lee; Visagie, Cobus M.; Meyer, Hannalien; Yilmaz, Neriman (MDPI, 2024-02-08)

  Maize production in South Africa is concentrated in its central provinces. The Eastern Cape contributes less than 1% of total production, but is steadily increasing its production and has been identified as a priority ...
• Known from trees and the tropics: new insights into the Fusarium lateritium species complex 

  Costa, M.M.; Sandoval-Denis, M.; Moreira, G.M.; Kandemir, H.; Kermode, A.; Buddie, A.G.; Ryan, M.J.; Becker, Y.; Yurkov, A.; Maier, W.; Groenewald, J.Z.; Pfenning, L.H.; Crous, Pedro W. (Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, 2024-09-26)

  The Fusarium lateritium species complex (FLSC) currently comprises 11 phylogenetic species, including accepted names such as F. lateritium, F. sarcochroum, and F. stilboides, which have mostly been reported in association ...
• What are the 100 most cited fungal genera? 

  Bhunjun, C.S.; Chen, Y.J.; Phukhamsakda, C.; Boekhout, T.; Groenewald, J.Z.; McKenzie, E.H.C.; Francisco, E.C.; Frisvad, J.C.; Groenewald, M.; Hurdeal, V.G.; Luangsa-ard, J.; Perrone, G.; Visagie, Cobus M.; Bai, F.Y.; Błaszkowski, J.; Braun, U.; De Souza, F.A.; De Queiroz, M.B.; Dutta, A.K.; Gonkhom, D.; Goto, B.T.; Guarnaccia, V.; Hagen, F.; Houbraken, J.; Lachance, M.A.; Li, J.J.; Luo, K.Y.; Magurno, F.; Mongkolsamrit, S.; Robert, V.; Roy, N.; Tibpromma, S.; Wanasinghe, D.N.; Wang, D.Q.; Wei, D.P.; Zhao, C.L.; Aiphuk, W.; Ajayi-Oyetunde, O.; Arantes, T.D.; Araujo, J.C.; Begerow, D.; Bakhshi, M.; Barbosa, R.N.; Behrens, F.H.; Bensch, K.; Bezerra, J.D.P.; Bilanski, P.; Bradley, C.A.; Bubner, B.; Burgess, T.I.; Buyck, B.; Cadez, N.; Cai, L.; Calaca, F.J.S.; Campbell, L.J.; Chaverri, P.; Chen, Y.Y.; Chethana, K.W.T.; Coetzee, B.; Costa, M.M.; Chen, Q.; Custodio, F.A.; Dai, Y.C.; Damm, U.; Santiago, A.L.C.M.A.; De Miccolis Angelini, R.M.; Dijksterhuis, J.; Dissanayake, A.J.; Doilom, M.; Dong, W.; Alvarez-Duarte, E.; Fischer, M.; Gajanayake, A.J.; Gene, J.; Gomdola, D.; Gomes, A.A.M.; Hausner, G.; He, M.Q.; Hou, L.; Iturrieta-Gonzalez, I.; Jami, F.; Jankowiak, R.; Jayawardena, R.S.; Kandemir, H.; Kiss, L.; Kobmoo, N.; Kowalski, T.; Landi, L.; Lin, C.G.; Liu, J.K.; Liu, X.B.; Loizides, M.; Luangharn, T.; Maharachchikumbura, S.S.N.; Makhathini Mkhwanazi, G.J.; Manawasinghe, I.S.; Marin-Felix, Y.; McTaggart, A.R.; Moreau, P.A.; Morozova, Q.V.; Mostert, L.; Osiewacz, H.D.; Pem, D.; Phookamsak, R.; Pollastro, S.; Pordel, A.; Poyntner, C.; Phillips, A.J.L.; Phonemany, M.; Promputtha, I.; Rathnayaka, A.R.; Rodrigues, A.M.; Romanazzi, G.; Rothmann, L.; Salgado-Salazar, C.; Sandoval-Denis, M.; Saupe, S.J.; Scholler, M.; Scott, P.; Shivas, R.G.; Silar, P.; Silva-Filho, A.G.S.; Souza-Motta, C.M.; Spies, C.F.J.; Stchigel, A.M.; Sterflinger, K.; Summerbell, R.C.; Svetasheva, T.Y.; Takamatsu, S.; Theelen, B.; Theodoro, R.C.; Thines, M.; Thongklang, N.; Torres, R.; Turchetti, B.; Van den Brule, T.; Wang, X.W.; Wartchow, F.; Welti, S.; Wijesinghe, S.N.; Wu, F.; Xu, R.; Yang, Z.L.; Yilmaz, Neriman; Yurkov, A.; Zhao, L.; Zhao, R.L.; Zhou, N.; Hyde, K.D. (Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, 2024-06)

  The global diversity of fungi has been estimated between 2 to 11 million species, of which only about 155 000 have been named. Most fungi are invisible to the unaided eye, but they represent a major component of biodiversity ...
• A review of recently introduced Aspergillus, Penicillium, Talaromyces and other Eurotiales species 

  Visagie, Cobus M.; Yilmaz, Neriman; Kocsube, S.; Frisvad, J.C.; Hubka, V.; Samson, R.A.; Houbraken, J. (Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, 2024-03)

  The order Eurotiales is diverse and includes species that impact our daily lives in many ways. In the past, its taxonomy was difficult due to morphological similarities, which made accurate identification of species ...

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