Welcome 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.
NOTES FROM THE HOST
Hello {{first_name | Robigalia readers}},
If you’re anything like me, you may still be catching up on plant pathology news that was released over the New Year period.
In case you missed it, Richard Wilson from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was recently awarded a major grant to investigate the effectors of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae.
Richard’s grant, entitled “Cracking the codon code for pathogen effector secretion in host plant cells”, aims to improve effector protein prediction, understand the timing of effector release, and determine the signal allowing for the secretion of effectors into plant cells.
This project will be carried out by Richard and his team, including doctoral students Nawaraj Dulal and Nisha Rokaya, and master’s student Ben Wheeler.
You can read more about Richard’s project on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s website.
Now, onto this week’s edition:
I highlight several articles on Eucalyptus leaf diseases
I introduce a recent PhD candidate from the University of Pretoria
I highlight two new jobs, one new event
Let’s dive in!
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
Progress on Eucalyptus leaf diseases
Myriam Solís et al., Transcriptional responses of Eucalyptus to infection by an aggressive leaf blight pathogen reveal the role of host secondary metabolites during pathogen germination
QianLi Liu et al., Integrated genome and transcriptome analysis reveals pathogenic mechanisms of Calonectria eucalypti in Eucalyptus leaf blight
Myriam Solís et al., Enhancing Plantation Forest Sustainability: A Review of Eucalyptus Defence Mechanisms to Foliar Fungal Pathogens
PLANT PATHOLOGIST OF THE WEEK
Meet Tshoganyetso Motete
This week, I’m happy to introduce Tshoganyetso Motete, a PhD candidate from the University of Pretoria, investigating Teratosphaeria destructans impacting Eucalyptus.
From a young age, Tshoganyetso always wondered, “If plants get sick?” This question led him to pursue an honours in microbiology at North-West University, where he learned about various plant pathogens, including fungi, bacteria, and viruses, and their interactions.
Now completing his PhD at the University of Pretoria, Tshoganyetso’s research focuses on understanding the defence mechanisms employed by Eucalyptus trees in response to the leaf blight pathogen Teratosphaeria destructans. His work involved investigating the molecular and genetic aspects of the plant-pathogen interaction, aiming to identify key genes, signalling pathways, and metabolites involved in Eucalyptus resistance. Following this, he aims to identify QTLs underlying this resistance.
Tshoganyetso’s PhD research has already led to the identification of key genes and pathways associated with resistance to this T. destructans, and he has recently submitted a manuscript detailing this work. He was also proud to present the results at the 53rd Congress of the Southern African Society of Plant Pathology 2024.
OPPORTUNITIES AND EVENTS
New plant pathology opportunities are listed below. For the full list of live opportunities and events, head to my Opportunities and Events Board using the buttons below.
New Scholarships
No new listing this week
New Jobs
Research Senior Technician, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, Apply ASAP
Postdoctoral Researcher (Carella Group), John Innes Centre, Norwich, United Kingdom, Closes 10th February 2026
New Events/Seminars
TSL Summer Conference in Plant-Microbe Interactions, The Sainsbury Laboratory, United Kingdom, 20th → 31st July 2026
Have a job, scholarship or event to advertise? List a scholarship, job, or event in Robigalia. I help you advertise your opportunity or event to a global network of plant pathologists for free.
MEME OF THE WEEK
THAT’S A WRAP
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See you next Monday!
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P.S. Why Robigalia? The name originates from the Ancient Roman festival dedicated to crop protection. You can read all about the history here: