• Unraveling plant cell death during phytophthora infection 

  Midgley, Kayla A.; Van den Berg, Noelani; Swart, Velushka (MDPI, 2022-05-31)

  Oomycetes form a distinct phylogenetic lineage of fungus-like eukaryotic microorganisms, of which several hundred organisms are considered among the most devastating plant pathogens— especially members of the genus ...
• The microbial nitrogen cycling, bacterial community composition, and functional potential in a natural grassland are stable from breaking dormancy to being dormant again 

  Das, Bikram K.; Ishii, Satoshi; Antony, Linto; Smart, Alexander J.; Scaria, Joy; Brözel, V.S. (Volker Siegfried), 1963- (MDPI, 2022-04-28)

  The quantity of grass-root exudates varies by season, suggesting temporal shifts in soil microbial community composition and activity across a growing season. We hypothesized that bacterial community and nitrogen ...
• Rhizosphere diazotrophs and other bacteria associated with native and encroaching legumes in the succulent Karoo biome in South Africa 

  Muema, Esther K.; Steenkamp, Emma Theodora; Venter, S.N. (Stephanus Nicolaas) (MDPI, 2022-01-20)

  Total and diazotrophic bacteria were assessed in the rhizosphere soils of native and encroaching legumes growing in the Succulent Karoo Biome (SKB), South Africa. These were Calobota sericea, Lessertia diffusa, Vachellia ...
• Nodulation and growth promotion of chickpea by Mesorhizobium isolates from diverse sources 

  Wanjofu, Edwin Isava; Venter, S.N. (Stephanus Nicolaas); Beukes, Chrizelle Winsie; Steenkamp, Emma Theodora; Gwata, Eastonce T.; Muema, Esther K. (MDPI, 2022-12-14)

  The cultivation of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) in South Africa is dependent on the application of suitable Mesorhizobium inoculants. Therefore, we evaluated the symbiotic effectiveness of several Mesorhizobium strains ...
• Microbial interactions in soil 

  Brözel, V.S. (Volker Siegfried), 1963- (MDPI, 2022-08-29)

  Our view on the diversity and distribution of soil microbiota has expanded and continues to do so, driven by high-throughput sequencing technologies, but comparatively little is known about how these organisms affect ...
• The identification and characterization of endopolygalacturonases in a South African isolate of Phytophthora cinnamomi 

  Miyambo, Tsakani Magdeline; Backer, Robert; Engelbrecht, Juanita; Joubert, Fourie; Van der Merwe, Nicolaas Albertus (Albie); Van den Berg, Noelani (MDPI, 2022-05-20)

  Phytophthora cinnamomi is an economically important plant pathogen that has caused devastating losses to the avocado industry worldwide. To facilitate penetration and successful colonization of the host plant, pathogens ...
• The global distribution and environmental drivers of the soil antibiotic resistome 

  Delgado‑Baquerizo, Manuel; Hu, Hang‑Wei; Maestre, Fernando T.; Guerra, Carlos A.; Eisenhauer, Nico; Eldridge, David J.; Zhu, Yong‑Guan; Chen, Qing‑Lin; Trivedi, Pankaj; Du, Shuai; Makhalanyane, Thulani P. (BMC, 2022-12-12)

  BACKGROUND : Little is known about the global distribution and environmental drivers of key microbial functional traits such as antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Soils are one of Earth’s largest reservoirs of ARGs, which ...
• Eye morphology and colour preferences in a semi-field test of the pine pest, Sirex noctilio (Hymenoptera: Siricidae) 

  Guignard, Quentin; Slippers, Bernard; Allison, Jeremy D.; Spaethe, Johannes; Nikolic, Natasa (Entomological Society of Southern Africa, 2023-03)

  The woodwasp, Sirex noctilio, is a global pest of pines. Although it is known to be attracted to light and possess sexually dimorphic body colouration, the visual ecology of S. noctilio is poorly understood. ...
• Biology of the invasive shell lerp psyllid, Spondyliaspis cf. plicatuloides (Froggatt) (Hemiptera: Aphalaridae) 

  Makunde, P.T. (Privilege); Slippers, Bernard; Bush, Samantha J.; Hurley, Brett P. (Entomological Society of Southern Africa, 2023-02-10)

  Spondyliaspis cf. plicatuloides (Froggatt) (Hemiptera: Aphalaridae), a shell lerp psyllid, is native to Australia but was first detected in South Africa during 2014. The insect feeds on the sap of eucalypt species and thus ...
• Rickettsia felis DNA recovered from a child who lived in southern Africa 2000 years ago 

  Rifkin, R.F. (Riaan); Vikram, Surendra; Alcorta, Jaime; Ramond, Jean-Baptiste; Cowan, Don A.; Jakobsson, Mattias; Schlebusch, Carina M.; Lombard, Marlize (Nature Research, 2023-03)

  The Stone Age record of South Africa provides some of the earliest evidence for the biological and cultural origins of Homo sapiens. While there is extensive genomic evidence for the selection of polymorphisms in response ...
• Truncation of MAT1-2-7 deregulates developmental pathways associated with sexual reproduction in Huntiella omanensis 

  Wilson, A.M. (Andi); Wingfield, Michael J.; Wingfield, Brenda D. (American Society for Microbiology, 2022-09-26)

  The MAT1-1-1 and MAT1-2-1 genes are thought to be the master regulators of sexual development in most ascomycete fungi, and they are often essential for this process. In contrast, it has been suggested that the secondary ...
• Biogeographical survey of soil microbiomes across sub-Saharan Africa : structure, drivers, and predicted climate-driven changes 

  Cowan, Don A.; Lebre, Pedro H.; Amon, C.E.R.; Becker, R.W.; Boga, H.I.; Boulange, A.; Chiyaka, T.L.; Coetzee, T.; De Jager, Pieter Christiaan; Dikinya, O.; Eckardt, F.; Greve, Michelle; Harris, Mathew Andrew; Hopkins, D.W.; Houngnandan, H.B.; Houngnandan, P.; Jordaan, K.; Kaimoyo, E.; Kambura, A.K.; Kamgan Nkuekam, Gilbert; Makhalanyane, Thulani P.; Maggs‑Kolling, G.; Marais, E.; Mondlane, H.; Nghalipo, E.; Olivier, Bernard Wilhelm; Ortiz, M.; Pertierra, Luis R.; Ramond, J.-B.; Seely, M.; Sithole‑Niang, I.; Valverde, Angel; Varliero, Gilda; Vikram, Surendra; Wall, D.H.; Zeze, A. (BMC, 2022-08-23)

  BACKGROUND : Top-soil microbiomes make a vital contribution to the Earth’s ecology and harbor an extraordinarily high biodiversity. They are also key players in many ecosystem services, particularly in arid regions of the ...
• Comparative genomics of Listeria species recovered from meat and food processing facilities 

  Mafuna, T.; Matle, I.; Magwedere, K.; Pierneef, R.E.; Reva, Oleg N. (American Society for Microbiology, 2022-09-06)

  Listeria species (spp.) are contaminants that can survive in food, on equipment, and on food processing premises if appropriate hygiene measures are not used. Homologous stress tolerance genes, virulence gene clusters such ...
• Screening of candidate bioactive secondary plant metabolite Ion-features from Moringa oleifera accessions associated with high and low enteric methane inhibition from ruminants 

  Zeru, Addisu Endalew; Hassen, Abubeker; Apostolides, Zeno; Tjelele, Julius (MDPI, 2022-05-31)

  This study evaluated the relationship of secondary bioactive plant metabolite ion-features (MIFs) of Moringa oleifera accessions with antimethanogenesis to identify potential MIFs that were responsible for high and low ...
• Four Lentisphaerae family metagenome-assembled genomes from the South Atlantic ocean 

  Makinde, Oluwatayo A.; Lunga, Percy Mutseka; Bezuidt, Oliver Keoagile Ignatius; Makhalanyane, Thulani P. (American Society for Microbiology, 2022-08-08)

  We present four Lentisphaerae metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from the South Atlantic Ocean. The medium-quality genomes, affiliated with the family of Lentisphaeraceae, ranged from 4.86 to 5.46 Mbp and harbored the ...
• Draft whole-genome sequence of Penicillium simplicissimum A4,a putative endophyte from Echium plantagineum 

  Fisher, Stacey; De Villers, Dewald; Du Plessis, Morne; Hattingh, Kacey; Saulse, Crishe; Basson, Gerhard; Barker, Adele; Daniel, Augustine Innalegwu; Al-Hashimi, Ali; Hitzeroth, Arina; Makhalanyane, Thulani P.; Mavumengwana, Vuyo; Gokul, Arun; Keyster, Marshall; Kleina, Ashwil (American Society for Microbiology, 2022-10-26)

  We report the draft whole-genome sequence of the putative endophytic fungus Penicillium simplicissimum A4, isolated from the roots of Echium plantagineum plants. The genome was sequenced using PacBio technology with an ...
• Draft genome sequences of three identified rhizobacteria associated with maize rhizosphere 

  Notununu, Iviwe; Van Wyk, Deidre Alima Bregene; Alayande, Kazeem Adekunle; Roopnarain, Ashira; Moleleki, Lucy Novungayo; Adelekea, Rasheed Adegbola (American Society for Microbiology, 2022-01-13)

  In this study, we sequenced the entire genomes of three identified rhizobacterial strains associated with maize plantation. Genome annotation of the sequenced data revealed several putative growth-promoting proteins ...
• Complete genome sequences of gram-positive opportunistic pathogens isolated from hospitals in Almaty, Kazakhstan 

  Korotetskiy, Ilya S.; Jumagaziyeva, Ardak B.; Kerimzhanova, Bahkytzhan; Reva, Oleg N.; Shilov, Sergey V.; Kuznetsova, Tatyana V.; Ivanova, Ludmila; Korotetskaya, Nadezhda; Bekmukhamedova, Aimana; Satylgankyzy, Ganiya; Klivleyevad, Nailya G. (American Society for Microbiology, 2022-03-14)

  The appearance of drug-resistant pathogens reduces the therapeutic applicability of antibiotics and increases the rate of hospital infections among patients. Complete genome sequences of four Gram-positive clinical ...
• The morphological and functional properties of lactiplantibacillus plantarum B411 subjected to acid, bile and heat multi-stress adaptation process and subsequent long-term freezing 

  Dlangalala, Thobeka Nomzamo; Mathipa-Mdakane, Moloko Gloria; Thantsha, Mapitsi Silvester (MDPI, 2022-11-07)

  The preadaptation of probiotics to sub-lethal levels of multiple stress factors boosts their survival and stability. However, little is known about how long-term cold storage affects the properties of such preadapted ...
• Impacts of biochar-based controlled-release nitrogen fertilizers on soil prokaryotic and fungal communities 

  Das, Bikram K.; Rubel, Robiul Islam; Gupta, Surbhi; Wu, Yajun; Wei, Lin; Brözel, Volker Siegfried (MDPI, 2022-10-16)

  Controlled-release Nitrogen Fertilizers (CRNFs) are an effective fertilization technique by minimizing nutrient loss and making Nitrogen (N) available to plants as they grow. Biochar-based CRNF (BCRNF) technologies have ...

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