Teaching
Current:
MBY 261: Fungal Biology
Past:
BOT 161: Plant Molecular Biology
Co-Supervisor
Associate Professor
I am the programme leader of the Macadamia Protection Programme at FABI. The Macadamia Protection Programme is a collaborative venture between Macadamia South Africa (SAMAC), the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI) and the University of Pretoria (UP). Macadamia are one of the fastest growing agricultural industries in the country and are of economic importance to South Africa. The industry is however hampered by a number of pests and diseases, which can cause major economic loss, both in terms of yield as well as nut quality. The overall goal of the research programme is to reduce their impact. It is therefore aimed towards keeping trees healthy and the industry productive and profitable.
Long-term sustainability of the industry is dependent on the use of integrated pest management. Integrated pest management systems aims to prevent or lower pest and disease incidence by employing multiple different strategies. Effective implementation of these are built on information regarding pest identity, population dynamics, disease cycle, infection biology, epidemiology and spread. Such information, however, are often lacking or not well understood. Current research focus areas of the research programme will therefore aim to fill these knowledge gaps. In the long term the MaPP also aim to assist in the generation of knowledge that will support the improvement or development of biological control; the use of pheromones for control and/or monitoring; research to support the selection of tolerant or resistant cultivars; as well as the generation of genetic tools to support cultivar breeding.
Current:
MBY 261: Fungal Biology
Past:
BOT 161: Plant Molecular Biology
Maduke, NA, Slippers, B, van der Linde, E, Wingfield, MJ, Fourie G. (2025) Botryosphaeriaceae associated with racemes, fruits and leaves of macadamia in South Africa. Plant Pathology 10.1111/ppa.14107
D’Angelo D, Sorrentino R, Nkomo T, Zhou X, Vaghefi N, Sonnekus B, Bose T, Cerrato D, Cozzolino L, Creux N, D’Agostino N, Fourie G, Fusco G, Hammerbacher A, Idnurm A, Kiss L, Hu Y, Hu H, Lahoz E, Risteski J, Steenkamp E T, Viscardi M, van der Nest M A, Wu Y, Yu H, Zhou J, Karandeni Dewage C S, Kotta-Loizou L I, Stotz H U, Fitt B D L, Huang Y, Wingfield BD. (2025) IMA GENOME - F20 A draft genome assembly of Agroathelia rolfsii, Ceratobasidium papillatum, Pyrenopeziza brassicae, Neopestalotiopsis macadamiae, Sphaerellopsis filum and genomic resources for Colletotrichum spaethianum and Colletotrichum fructicola. IMA Fungus 10.3897/imafungus.16.141732
Maduke, NA, Slippers, B, van der Linde, E, Wingfield, MJ, Fourie G. (2024) Botryosphaeriaceae species associated with branch dieback and decline of macadamia trees in South Africa. Australasian Plant Pathology 10.1007/s13313-024-00992-6
Twiddy D, Fouché, A, Akinsanmi OA, Fourie G. (2024) Biology and pathogenicity of fungi causing husk rot of macadamia in South Africa. European Journal of Plant Pathology 10.1007/s10658-024-02915-z
Jami, F, Duma, S, Fourie G, Schoeman M. (2024) First report of Botrytis cinerea causing flower blight on macadamia in South Africa. Journal of Phytopathology 10.1111/jph.13325
Pal E, Allison, JD, Hurley BP, Slippers, B, Fourie G. (2024) Lethal and sublethal effects of insecticides on Bathycoelia distincta (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae). African Entomology 10.17159/2254-8854/2024/a16992
Fourie, A, Venter, SN, Slippers, B, Fourie G. (2023) Pantoea bathycoeliae sp. nov and a Sodalis sp. are core gut microbiome symbionts of the two-spotted stink bug. Frontiers in Microbiology 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1284397
Pal E, Allison JD, Hurley BP, Slippers B, Fourie G. (2023) Life History Traits of the Pentatomidae (Hemiptera) for the Development of Pest Management Tools. Forests 10.3390/ f14050861
Wingfield, Brenda D., Berger, Dave K., Coetzee, Martin P. A., Duong, Tuan A., Martin, Anke, Pham, Nam Q., van den Berg, Noelani, Wilken, P. Markus, Arun-Chinnappa, Kiruba Shankari, Barnes, Irene, Buthelezi, Sikelela, Dahanayaka, Buddhika Amarasinghe, Durán, Alvaro, Engelbrecht, Juanita, Feurtey, Alice, Fourie, Arista, Fourie, Gerda, Hartley, Jesse, Kabwe, Eugene N. K., Maphosa, Mkhululi, Narh Mensah, Deborah L., Nsibo, David L., Potgieter, Lizel, Poudel, Barsha, Stukenbrock, Eva H., Thomas, Chanel, Vaghefi, Niloofar, Welgemoed, Tanya, Wingfield, Michael J.. (2022) IMA genome‑F17 Draft genome sequences of an Armillaria species from Zimbabwe, Ceratocystis colombiana, Elsinoë necatrix, Rosellinia necatrix, two genomes of Sclerotinia minor, short‑read genome assemblies and annotations of four Pyrenophora teres isolates from barley grass, and a long-read genome assembly of Cercospora zeina. 10.1186/s43008-022-00104-3
Pal E, Allison JD, Guignard Q, Hurley BP, Slippers B, Fourie G. (2022) Characterisation of the Alarm Pheromone of Bathycoelia Distincta (Pentatomidae). Journal of Chemical Ecology 10.1007/s10886-022-01388-w