FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT OF SHORT COURSE IN NEMATOLOGY

DATE: WINTER HOLIDAYS OF 2011 (exact dates to be announced)
DURATION: TWO WEEKS (10 working days)
VENUE: NORTH-WEST UNIVERSITY, POTCHEFSTROOM
COST: ZAR6500 (excl. VAT) or equivalent of US$950 for foreign students. Fee includes all course material, refreshments and lunch; excludes accommodation and travelling to venue and back home.
Availability is limited: First come, first serve

Keep an eye on this web site for further announcements!

Enquiries: Prof Alex Mc Donald Tel. +27 18 293 3749
Prof Driekie Fourie Tel. +27 18 293 3683

www.nwu.ac.za

Related links

SASPP The South African Society of Plant Pathologists promotes Plant Pathology in Southern Africa by acting as the official mouthpiece of Plant Pathologists in Southern Africa

IFNS The International Federation of Nematology Societies serves as a worldwide interface for Nematology societies promoting communication, education, research and outreach

ARC The Agricultural Research Council promotes the agricultural and related sectors through research, technology development and transfer.

SON The Society of Nematologists is an international organization formed to advance the science of nematology in both its fundamental and economic aspects.

Msc. Bursary at the University of Pretoria

The project is a new initiative aiming to apply molecular tools such as PCR and quantitative real time PCR in the characterisation and quantification of potato root knot nematodes in South Africa. The research is part of a potato research programme at the University of Pretoria. Team Leader: Dr LN Moleleki; Team members: Prof P Hammas and Dr J van der Waals. This project is funded by the NRF, Potato South Africa and THRIP.

Students who hold an honours degree in Molecular Biology, Plant pathology or Microbiology, Genetics or Biochemistry are requested to apply. Background knowledge in the field of nematology is important but not essential.

For more information please contact Dr L Moleleki (lucy.moleleki@up.ac.za). Applications accompanied by academic records and CV must also be forwarded to Dr Moleleki at the above email address.

Many species that infect vertebrate animals and humans can be more than 5 cm long and are visible without magnification. Free-living microbe-feeding nematodes and plant-infecting species, most of which are in range of 0.5 to 2 mm long, generally cannot be observed in detail without a microscope.

Nematodes are mostly microscopic and generally translucent and thus nearly impossible to see in the soil, except for the females of some species, which swell and become pyriform, reniform, saccate, or lemon-shaped in the adult stage. Most plant-parasitic are elongate and threadlike throughout their life cycles, and all are of this morphology when they hatch from the egg. Only about 10% of all described nematode species are plant parasites. About 15% are animal parasites, about 50% are marine nematodes, and 25% are free-living.

Different species of plant-parasitic nematodes can inhabit and infect most living parts of plants, including flower buds, stems, leaves, and roots. Over 3 billion nematodes can be present in 0.4 ha of land. Many species occur in the top 30 cm of soil, but some are more common at deeper levels. A kilo of soil in a cultivated fertile field with a heavy plant cover generally contains 10 to 20 species belonging to diverse genera, including ecto– and endoparasites, predators, and microbe-feeding or saprophytic types.

From: Diagnosing plant diseases caused by nematodes by Malcolm C. Shurtleff and Charles W. Averre III, published by the American Phytopathological Society.