Robigalia Roundup XXXVI

Hello {{first_name | Robigalia Readers}},

Welcome back to another edition of the Robigalia Roundup!

If you’re new here, Robigalia is your weekly roundup of the latest research, researchers, scholarships, and opportunities in plant pathology globally. Make sure you’re a subscriber to have these opportunities and events delivered directly to your inbox every Monday.

This week, I’m starting off with something a little bit different. From the feedback I have received from a many of you, you were interested in a section from your editor to introduce each edition. So I introduce “notes from the host” to kick this week’s edition off.

Late last week, the Western Australia DPIRD made the unfortunate announcement that the Polyphagous shot-hole borer eradication effort has now transitioned to management. If you’re based in Western Australia, be sure to keep your eye out for any signs of the beetle, and continue to report it through the MyPestGuide app.

In some happy news, last Monday I had my PhD conferred, officially becoming Dr. Martino! If you’re interested in hearing about my non-traditional pathway into university and plant pathology research, let me know in the comments.

Onto this week’s edition, I highlight a study examining diversity of the oat crown rust pathogen in Australia, and I’m happy to introduce Thabiso Masisi, a PhD student from South Africa.

⭐ Meet Thabiso Masisi ⭐

Meet this week’s researcher of the week, Thabiso Masisi, a PhD student from University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.

Plant pathology wasn’t the immediate choice for Thabiso’s studies, and he was more interested in working with flowering plants and insects, such as bees and butterflies. It was only when he got to university that he realised his passion lay in working with diseased crops, something he had seen daily growing up. This realisation hooked him into studying plant pathology, and he hasn’t looked back since!

Now, Thabiso is pursuing a PhD in plant pathology, focusing on fungal diseases affecting sorghum crops in South Africa. His research aims to uncover the diversity and distribution of fungal pathogens across sorghum production regions, assess their impact on crop health and yield, and develop effective disease management strategies to support both commercial and smallholder farmers.

By integrating field surveys, molecular diagnostics, and data analysis, his work addresses the critical challenges posed by plant diseases in a crop that plays a vital role in food security and rural livelihoods. His work contributes to the Department of Science and Innovation's goals to revitalise sorghum production and enhance food security in South Africa.

One of Thabiso’s proudest achievements has been the opportunity to bridge the gap between research and practice by conducting extension work with farmers. Teaching farmers how to identify and manage diseases while incorporating their feedback has been incredibly rewarding for Thabiso. Another milestone was presenting his findings at a national conference, which strengthened his confidence as a researcher.

Thabiso’s short term goal is complete his PhD this year and secure a position where he can continue conducting applied research and mentoring students. His long-term goal is to lead an interdisciplinary research team that focuses on sustainable crop protection, while also engaging with policymakers to ensure that research aligns with the needs of farmers, especially those adapting to climate change.

To fellow plant pathology students, his advice is to “never underestimate the value of networking and collaboration. Speak to farmers if your research includes working with them, most of our research ideas are inspired by farmers, talk to industry experts on LinkedIn about their careers if you are inspired by them, and fellow researchers. You’ll often find new perspectives and ideas.”

If you want to find out more about Thabiso’s research, you can reach him via LinkedIn or post your questions in the comments.

New opportunities below are indicated by two asterisks at the start of the entry **

Until next week,

Alyssa

_{** Disclaimer: No dogs were harmed in the production of this newsletter.}