The John and Petakin Mildenhall Best PhD Award
2022 - Dr. Minette Havenga
The winner of this special Award was Dr Minette Havenga with her study titled “Biology and pathology of the Eucalyptus foliar pathogen Teratosphaeria destructans”. Her supervisor was Dr Janneke Aylward and co-supervisors Professors BD Wingfield and MJ Wingfield (FABI) and Professors LL Dreyer and F Roets (Stellenbosch University). Six peer reviewed papers have been published from her PhD. According to Minette this study greatly improves our understanding of the biology and pathology of Teratosphaeria destructans. Next generation sequencing techniques were used to investigate the intra-specific variation of this plant pathogen to understand its biology more fully. Genetic resources were generated that will be essential for future studies. These include three genomes, three transcriptomes, mating-type markers, polymorphic microsatellites, and a diagnostic tool. The genetic tools produced have applications that extend to other Teratosphaeria species. The mating-type markers can accurately identify the MAT1 idiomorphs of five economically important species. The microsatellites can be used as a rapid and cost-effective diagnostic tool for large-scale disease surveys. In South Africa, industry can now focus their screening of resistant Eucalyptus clones on the specific genotype of T. destructans. The genetic markers provide an essential tool for continuous monitoring in South African plantations so that new pathogen introductions can be identified as early as possible.
Minette is currently employed as a researcher in plant protection at the Agricultural Research Council, Infruitec-Nietvoorbij in Stellenbosch focussing on fruit tree pathogens. She works alongside the grapevine pathology group to expand the research capacity in the grapevine and fruit industries. Minette is a keen artist, golfer and hiker in her free time when not hunting for diseased trees.
On 20 January 2021, FABI had the pleasure of hosting a four-hour long virtual congress of the Southern African Society for Plant Pathology (SASPP). The decision to replace the Biennial SASPP Congress – scheduled for January 2021 but cancelled considering adverse circumstances surrounding COVID-19 – was made by the SASPP Council. The event also concluded the United Nations International Year of Plant Health (IYPH) that had been proclaimed for 2020.
The SASPP President, Prof. Wijnand Swart, opened the virtual meeting by welcoming the 335 registered delegates from 27 countries and during the closing of the event, he announced the winner of the prestigious Biennial John and Petaken Mildenhall Best PhD Award which was awarded for the first time during a SASPP congress.
The SASPP Council had facilitated the process of procuring applications from prospective candidates that had obtained their PhD during 2020. Applications that met specific criteria for the award were handed to a panel of selected academic and industry members for adjudication. The prestigious John and Petakin Mildenhall Best PhD Award was consequently bestowed upon Dr. Meagan van Dyk from the Department of Plant Pathology, Stellenbosch University.
Dr. van Dyk had graduated in April 2020 under supervision of Prof. Francois Halleen [Agricultural Research Council (ARC) Infruitec-Nietvoorbij] and Prof. Lizél Mostert (Plant Pathology, Stellenbosch University). The title of her PhD thesis was ‘Characterisation, epidemiology and management of olive trunk disease pathogens in South Africa’. The judges were unanimous that Dr van Dyk’s study is well-balanced in terms of basic and applied aspects and contributes new knowledge to the expanding olive industry in South Africa. Her study also clearly reflects the research values of John Mildenhall which have always included strong implementation in practical agriculture. The project was funded by the South African Olive Industry Association (SAOlive), Technology and Human Resources for Industry Programme (THRIP) and the ARC.
