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SASRN to address key issues
in Sclerotinia research
S
clerotinia sclerotiorum
is a predominant plant pathogen.
South African host crops of importance include canola,
soybean and sunflower, which contribute significantly to
the economy. Globally,
S. sclerotiorum
is an increasing
threat to yields and quality due to head and stem rots of canola,
soybean and sunflowers.
My doctoral supervisor, Professor Neal McLaren, and I were invited
to present a poster titled,
Epidemiology of Sclerotinia stem rot of
soybean: A South African perspective
at the National Sclerotinia
Initiative (NSI) in Minnesota (USA) in January last year.
Upon returning, we and a fellow student, Marlese Bester, contacted
fellow Sclerotinia researchers across South Africa. The initial inten-
tion was to create a platform for young researchers to assist one
another and share their experiences with Sclerotinia research in
South Africa. However, there was significant interest from beyond
academic institutions and therefore the South African Sclerotinia
Research Network (SASRN) was born.
This platform is a community of practice for Sclerotinia research-
ers in South Africa. The three key issues on which the SASRN would
like to focus are:
Generating a virtual centre of excellence and expertise.
The role South Africa can play in the Sclerotinia research arena
internationally.
Developing practical management strategies for diseases
caused by Sclerotinia for our local producers.
The latter focus point is reliant on driving parallel, comprehensive
and cohesive research to benefit multiple investigators and the
public to which the SASRN could contribute significantly.
The SASRN had its inaugural meeting in September at the Agri-
Hub Office Park in Pretoria. Research groups who attended, include
Bayer CropScience, Philagro SA, the University of Pretoria, the Uni-
versity of the Free State, theWestern Cape Department of Agriculture,
Cengen and Grain SA. During this meeting we shared current
knowledge and research on canola, soybeans and sunflowers.
Contact us
If you are a producer and have a Sclerotinia
outbreak contact us
on our hotline at 079 869 6357 (managed by the University of
Pretoria members), support our
page,
South African Scle-
rotinia Research Network
, or tag us @
sclerotinianetworkza
if you
are interested in more information.
RELEVANT
LISA ROTHMANN,
University of the Free State
Back: Liezl van der Hoven (University of Pretoria),
Corneli Smit (CenGen), Dr Adré Minnaar-Ontong (University
of the Free State), Dr Chrisna Steyn (University of the
Free State), Marlese Bester (University of the Free State),
Prof Jacquie van der Waals (University of Pretoria),
Wandile Ngcamphalala (Grain SA) and Prof Neal McLaren
(University of the Free State).
Front: Elsabet Wessels (CenGen), Carmen Meyer (University
of the Free State), Nelia Rousseau (Bayer CropScience),
Lizette Nowers (Western Cape Department of Agriculture),
Petru Fourie (Grain SA) and Lisa Rothmann (University of the
Free State). Absent: Henk van der Westhuizen (Philagro SA).