Nematology in South Africa: A View from the 21st Century (eBook)

This unique book contains not only a comprehensive up-to-date summary of the achievements made in all areas of Nematology in South Africa over more than half a century, but it also combines this rather technical part with an insiders narrative of how Nematology started and developed. It also demonstrates how the South African community of nematologists gradually adapted to major changes in agriculture. These were due to a major political shift followed by socio-economic changes and this in an often challenging natural environment. At the same time this book is conceived as a useful source for young scientists to provide them with practical knowledge and critical insight in the field of Nematology. The information given is based primarily on research conducted by nematologists in South Africa. Most of this research was aimed at finding workable solutions for nematological problems confronted by both large-scale commercial producers and smallholding farmers. During a period when funding for scientific research is becoming increasingly scarce, the future demand and quest for practical solutions by applied research will only increase.

Hendrika Fourie's nematology career started in 1991 at the Grain Crops Institute of the then Department of Agriculture. She obtained her MSc and PhD qualifications thereafter at the North-West University and University of Leuven, respectively. She conducts fundamental and practically-applied research, focusing on the development of nematode management strategies for various food crops, and trains postgraduate students. She enjoys running and travelling across the globe!

Vaughan Spaull was awarded his PhD in nematology from the University of Reading in England, in 1973. Prior to that he was employed as nematologist in the South Orkney Islands with the British Antarctic Survey. Later he worked as a biologist on Aldabra atoll with the Royal Society. Thereafter he joined the South African Sugarcane Research Institute at Mount Edgecombe, where for 32 years his primary interest was the management of plant parasitic nematodes. He is now retired.

Robin Jones was awarded his PhD in 1976 from London University. He moved to the Citrus and Subtropical Research Institute in Nelspruit where he worked on the nematode problems of bananas. In 1980, he returned to the UK and worked as an abstractor for CABI. In 1981, he returned to South Africa working in the Crop Protection Industry dealing with the development and marketing of nematicides. In 2006, he started a consulting and analytical services business, is an active Rotarian and enjoys cycling

Mieke Daneel was awarded her PhD at the Rand Afrikaans University in 1989 after which she started working at Agricultural Research Council - Institute for Tropical and Subtropical Crops (originally Department of Agriculture). She is still at the same institute based in Mbombela. The research of Mieke and her team is focused on alternative control strategies for nematodes in bananas, subtropical crops and vegetables.

Dirk De Waele received MSc degrees in Zoology and International Co-operation Development, and a PhD degree in Nematology (1983; University of Gent). He worked at the Grain Crops Institute in Potchefstroom (South Africa) from 1984-1989 and thereafter as a senior scientist at Plant Genetic Systems (Belgium) and science advisor for the Minister-president of Flanders. In 1994 he joined the Laboratory of Tropical Crop Improvement (University of Leuven) and focused on the development of low-input nematode management strategies and the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on plant-parasitic nematodes.