• Symbiotic nitrogen fixation efficiency of native rhizobia in selected South African legume crops 

  Ndhlovu, Khumbudzo (University of Pretoria, 2019-06)

  This Master’s dissertation reports about the screening and characterization of selected alpha and beta rhizobial isolates from wild legumes in South Africa for their nodulation and nitrogen fixation properties on the ...
• Characterisation of secondary metabolite pathways in the Ceratocystidaceae 

  Sayari, Mohammad (University of Pretoria, 2019-12)

  Members of Ceratocystistidaceae (phylum Ascomycota, class Sordariomycetes) include fungal pathogens that cause diseases on a broad spectrum of hosts, leading to substantial economic losses globally. The objective of this ...
• Diversity, specificity and admixture in the Sirex - Amylostereum - Deladenus symbiosis 

  Fitza, Katrin Nathalie Elsbeth (University of Pretoria, 2019-09)

  Biological control is an important management tool to deal with the rapidly increasing number of invasive pests of plantation forests globally. It is important to consider the genetic diversity of both the pest and biological ...
• Diversity of rhizobial Methylobacterium species associated with indigenous legumes in South Africa 

  Moyana, Sanele B. (University of Pretoria, 2019-12)

  The genus Methylobacterium includes a variety of pink pigmented and cream white facultatively methylotrophic bacteria that are characterized by their ability to mainly utilize methanol as a carbon source. Methylobacterium ...
• Discovery of Phytophthora cinnamomi RxLR effector genes expressed in avocado during infection 

  Joubert, Melissa (University of Pretoria, 2019-12)

  Phytophthora cinnamomi is an oomycete that targets a broad range of plants, including several economically important forestry and agricultural crops. It is the causal agent of Phytophthora Root Rot, and causes significant ...
• Taxonomic characterization of Paraburkholderia tuberum-like rhizobia from diverse legumes 

  Mavima, Lazarus (University of Pretoria, 2020-01)

  Paraburkholderia tuberum is an indigenous South African bacterial species and one of the first rhizobia to be described in the class Beta-proteobacteria. In the past two decades, numerous strains identified as P. tuberum ...
• Unisexual reproduction in filamentous Ascomycete Fungi, with particular reference to Huntiella moniliformis 

  Wilson, Andrea Melissa (University of Pretoria, 2019)

  English: Many filamentous ascomycete fungi are capable of sexual reproduction, though the exact mechanisms they use can differ from species to species. Those that require a compatible partner are termed heterothallic, ...
• Interaction of African horse sickness virus inclusion bodies with cellular translation machinery to compartmentalise virus protein synthesis 

  Yssel, Litia (University of Pretoria, 2019-11)

  African horse sickness virus (AHSV) is an orbivirus in the Reoviridae family that causes severe disease in horses, with major economic implications. The viral genome consists of ten double-stranded RNA segments, encoding ...
• Genomic insights into the biology and evolution of Botryosphaeriaceae 

  Nagel, Jan Hendrik (University of Pretoria, 2019-09)

  The Botryosphaeriaceae is a large family of fungi including many plant pathogenic species that cause diseases of important plants such as fruit trees, grapevine, eucalypts, pines and wheat. Members of this family are ...
• Effects of ecology on Ficus population genetic structure in southern Africa 

  Deng, Jun-Yin (University of Pretoria, 2020-02)

  South African forests have become fragmented due to both historical events and current human activities. Fragmentation may have increased population differentiation by reducing the gene flow between plants isolated in ...
• Molecular and bioinformatic analysis of the Persea americana (Mill.) NPR1-dependent defence signalling pathway in response to Phytophthora cinnamomi infection 

  Backer, Robert (University of Pretoria, 2019-12)

  The global avocado industry has experienced significant growth throughout the past two decades, with annual production doubling over that time. However, increased production is accompanied by an ever-increasing threat from ...
• Adaptive and maladaptive sex ratios in a pollinating fig wasp 

  Pentz, Karina (University of Pretoria, 2020-01)

  When a trait enhances fitness and arose as a result of natural selection, it is termed an adaptation. The optimization strategy employs selection thinking which makes the explicit assumption that the globally best trait ...
• Systems biology of organellar carbon metabolism in Eucalyptus xylogenesis 

  Pinard, Desré (University of Pretoria, 2020-01)

  Trees play a pivotal role in the global carbon cycle through the fixation and storage of carbon as polysaccharide and phenolic biopolymers in the secondary cell walls of xylem fibre cells (wood). Driven by the need to ...
• Comparative genomics and pathogenicity of Xanthomonas vasicola 

  Zim, Nomakula Y. (University of Pretoria, 2020-01)

  In the mid-2000s an outbreak of bacterial blight and dieback caused by Xanthomonas vasicola pv. vasculorum was observed on a single Eucalyptus grandis clone in KwaZulu-Natal. It was suggested that this outbreak was as a ...
• Woodrot fungi in the Garden Route National Park and surrounds of South Africa : identification and taxonomy 

  Tchotet Tchoumi, James Michel (University of Pretoria, 2019)

  Addressing the concerns of microbial diseases affecting natural forests, particularly those caused by wood-rotting Basidiomycetes, is of paramount importance for the protection of these woody ecosystems. This is of particular ...
• The type VI secretion system in Pectobacterium spp: Role in virulence and regulation by Zur 

  Gricia, Alessandro Rino (University of Pretoria, 2019-11)

  Pectobacterium spp. together with Dickeya spp. belong to a group of soft rot disease causing pathogens known as the soft rot Enterobacteriaceae (SRE). Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. brasiliense is an aggressive pathogen ...
• Phenolic compounds, functional and antioxidant properties of flours from microwave pre-treated Bambara groundnut seeds 

  Venter, Anton (University of Pretoria, 2019-11)

  Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea L.) is an underutilised and under-researched legume crop which is an important source of protein and other nutrients, mainly in countries in sub-Saharan Africa. It is consumed in a wide ...
• Genome assembly, annotation and comparative analysis of the maize fungal pathogen Cercospora zeina 

  Olivier, Nicholas Abraham (University of Pretoria, 2019-06)

  The fungal pathogen Cercospora zeina causes Grey leaf spot (GLS), a devastating yield-limiting foliar disease of maize. GLS negatively impacts food security, especially in sub-Saharan Africa where maize is a staple food ...
• Genetic architecture of gene expression during xylogenesis in Eucalyptus interspecific hybrids 

  Loubser, Lizette (University of Pretoria, 2019-12)

  Xylogenesis is a complex biological process involving thousands of genes that leads to the formation of woody biomass, which is one of the largest sources of renewable raw materials for many industrial applications, such ...
• Non-ribosomal peptide synthetases from the genomes of selected Chrysoporthe species 

  Sithole, Khongelile Sydney (University of Pretoria, 2019-04)

  Chrysoporthe is a genus consisting of species that are pathogens to various plant hosts, including industrial Eucalyptus species. The pathogenicity of each species varies to different hosts and amongst themselves. The ...

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