Prof Makoena Moloi
Position
Associate Professor
Department
Plant Sciences
Address

Department Plant Sciences
IB 63

Postal Code
9999
Telephone
0514019483
Office
BIOLOGY BUILDING 129
Short CV

Prof. Makoena (Boke) Moloi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences (Botany Division) at the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein Campus. She obtained her BSc, BSc Honours, MSc and PhD degrees in Botany from the University of the Free State. Her research focuses on plant ecophysiology, with particular emphasis on understanding the physiological, and biochemical mechanisms that enable crops to tolerate environmental stresses such as drought and heat. A central theme of her research is elucidating how photosynthetic performance interacts with plant defence mechanisms, metabolism, growth, yield formation, and nutritional quality under stressful environments. Her current research investigates strategies to improve crop resilience, productivity, and seed quality under changing climatic conditions, with a focus on crops including edamame, pigeon pea, wheat, and dry bean. She has published extensively in international peer-reviewed journals and maintains active collaborations with researchers across South Africa, Europe, and the United States.

Prof. Moloi actively welcomes motivated Honours, MSc and PhD students interested in photosynthesis, plant stress physiology, crop resilience, and climate-smart agriculture. Students in her research group benefit from multidisciplinary training, strong publication support, national and international collaborations, and opportunities for international research exchanges through established partnerships. Through these collaborations, postgraduate students have participated in international mobility programmes and research visits abroad, gaining valuable exposure to global research environments. Her research group provides a dynamic and supportive environment where students develop expertise in plant ecophysiology, photosynthesis, crop stress biology, metabolism, and sustainable agricultural systems, while contributing to solutions aimed at enhancing food security and agricultural sustainability under climate change.

 

Publications
Prof. Moloi has established a strong publication record in plant stress physiology and crop resilience, with more than 30 peer-reviewed articles published in internationally recognised journals. Her research addresses critical challenges facing agriculture, including drought, heat stress, plant nutrition, and sustainable crop production in a changing climate. The interdisciplinary nature of her work has fostered collaborations with researchers across South Africa, Europe, and the United States, creating opportunities for knowledge exchange, postgraduate training, and international research partnerships. Her publications reflect a commitment to generating impactful science that contributes to food security, agricultural sustainability, and the development of climate-resilient cropping systems.

Moloi, M.J. & van der Merwe, R. (2021). Drought tolerance responses in vegetable-type soybeans involve a network of biochemical mechanisms at flowering and pod-filling stages. Plants, 10, 1502.

Hlahla, J.M., Mafa, M.S., van der Merwe, R., Alexander, O., Duvenhage, M.M., Kemp, G. & Moloi, M.J. (2022). The photosynthetic efficiency and carbohydrate responses of six edamame cultivars under drought stress. Plants, 11, 394.

Moloi, M.J. & Khoza, B.M. (2022). The effect of selenium foliar application on the physiological responses of edamame under different water treatments. Agronomy, 12, 2400.

Hlahla, J.M., Mafa, M.S., van der Merwe, R. & Moloi, M.J. (2024). Exploring edamame survival mechanisms under combined drought and heat stress: Photosynthesis efficiency and carbohydrate accumulation. Plant Stress, 14, 100616.

Moloi, S.J., Alqarni, A.O., Brown, A.P., Goche, T., Shargie, N.G., Moloi, M.J., Gokul, A., Chivasa, S. & Ngara, R. (2024). Comparative physiological, biochemical, and leaf proteome responses of contrasting wheat varieties to drought stress. Plants, 13, 2797.

Moloi, M.J., Tóth, C., Hafeez, A. & Tóth, B. (2025). Insights into the photosynthetic efficiency and chloroplast ultrastructure of heat-stressed edamame cultivars during the reproductive stages. Agronomy, 15, 301.

Hlahla, J.M., Mafa, M.S., van der Merwe, R. & Moloi, M.J. (2025). Tolerance to combined drought and heat stress in edamame is associated with enhanced antioxidative responses and cell wall modifications. Physiologia Plantarum, 177, e70187.

Sekhurwane, M., Tóth, B. & Moloi, M.J. (2025). Effectiveness of soil, foliar, and seed selenium applications in modulating physio-biochemical and yield responses to drought stress in vegetable soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill). Plants, 14, 3261.

Research

My research focuses on understanding how crops respond and adapt to environmental stresses, particularly drought and heat stress, and on developing innovative strategies to improve crop resilience, productivity, and nutritional quality under changing climatic conditions. Photosynthesis serves as a central physiological framework in this work, integrated with plant defence mechanisms, nutrient metabolism, and crop performance to elucidate mechanisms underlying stress tolerance. By integrating plant physiology, biochemistry, and metabolism with whole-plant performance, my research aims to identify processes that enhance stress resilience and support sustainable agricultural production. Current research activities span both fundamental and applied aspects of plant stress biology, with a strong emphasis on climate-smart agriculture, plant nutrition, and biostimulant technologies.

Current Research Areas:

1. Drought Stress Physiology and Metabolic Adaptation in Pigeon Pea
Investigating the effects of drought stress on photosynthetic performance, metabolic reprogramming, yield formation, and seed nutritional quality in pigeon pea. This research aims to identify physiological and metabolic traits associated with drought tolerance and improved crop performance under water-limited conditions.

2. Biostimulants for Enhancing Crop Resilience
Evaluating the effectiveness of natural and synthetic biostimulants in improving physiological performance, metabolic responses, growth, and productivity of edamame and pigeon pea under drought stress. Particular emphasis is placed on understanding the mechanisms through which biostimulants enhance stress tolerance and crop resilience.

3. Improving Nutritional and Functional Seed Quality Under Environmental Stress
Examining how biostimulant-induced physiological and metabolic changes influence seed nutritional composition and functional properties in edamame and pigeon pea. This research seeks to develop integrated strategies that improve both crop productivity and nutritional value under challenging environmental conditions.

Research Opportunities:

The research group welcomes motivated Honours, MSc, and PhD students interested in plant ecophysiology, plant stress physiology, crop nutrition, biostimulants, metabolomics and climate-resilient agriculture. Opportunities exist for interdisciplinary research in collaboration with national and international partners, including access to advanced analytical techniques and international mobility programmes.

 

Area(s) of Interest

Plant ecophysiology, plant stress physiology, drought and heat stress biology, crop resilience, climate-smart agriculture, photosynthesis, plant metabolism, plant nutrition, selenium biofortification, biostimulants, crop productivity, seed nutritional quality, legume improvement, plant–microbe interactions, physiological and biochemical phenotyping, and sustainable agricultural systems for enhanced food security.

Expertise

Plant Stress Physiology
Plant Ecophysiology
Drought and Heat Stress Responses in Crops
Photosynthesis and Chlorophyll Fluorescence Analysis
Plant Physiological and Biochemical Phenotyping
Crop Adaptation to Climate Change
Plant Nutrition and Selenium Physiology
Biostimulants for Crop Improvement
Legume Physiology and Crop Improvement
Metabolic Responses to Abiotic Stress
Crop Productivity and Yield Physiology
Seed Nutritional Quality Assessment
Experimental Design and Controlled Environment Studies
Postgraduate Research Supervision
Climate-Smart Agriculture

Courses Presented

BLG1643

BTNY2621

BTNY3764

BTNY6864

BLG2625

BTNY6806

BTNY6808

BTNY8900

BTNY9100

 

Contact Me
Name
E-mail
Subject
Message
Verification Code
Retype Verification Code
64cea5fe-404f-452a-8afb-676226bc464c


BLOEMFONTEIN CAMPUS FACULTY CONTACT

Elfrieda van den Berg (Marketing Manager)
T: +27 51 401 2531
E:vdberge@ufs.ac.za

QWAQWA CAMPUS FACULTY CONTACT

Dilahlwane Mohono (Faculty Officer)
T: +27 58 718 5284
E:naturalscienceqq@ufs.ac.za

Home new

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful, to better understand how they are used and to tailor advertising. You can read more and make your cookie choices here. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept