Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Categories
UFS News Media Release Research
Years
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Months
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Previous Archive
06 December 2018 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Barend Nagel
Marcelle Vermeulen
Marcele Vermeulen, a graduate from the Department of Plant Sciences, explores possible threats to crop production; contributing to food security in South Africa.
Global food security is currently threatened both by climate change and the low diversity of crops relied on by humankind to feed a growing world population. Marcele Vermeulen, a graduate in the Department of Plant Sciences who will receive her PhD at the December graduation ceremonies at the University of the Free State (UFS), is part of a team that is working hard to add to the diversity of staple foods in South Africa.

In the drive to focus on alternative crops, Marcele is researching the crop, Amaranthus cruentus, (grain amaranth). It is more tolerant to environmental stress for large-scale production, thereby also diversifying staple crops.

Relatively new development

“Amaranthus cruentus is an excellent candidate due to its high nutritional value and tolerance to drought and high temperatures. It can be mixed with conventional maize meal, to increase the protein intake of its consumers,” said Marcele.

The production of A. cruentus as a grain crop in South Africa is a relatively new development.

In her research, exploring the possible threats to crop production and paying particular attention to dominant plant pathogens in the Amaranthus cruentus, Marcele found a correlation between fungal pathogens and insect pests. 

Insect pests can influence plant diseases

Although reports on fungal pathogens and pests specific to A. cruentus are limited to and information for South Africa is limited to this study, there is a possibility that by controlling insect pests such as weevils, one might also be able to control fungal pathogens of Amaranthus cruentus.

Marcele believes that control of weevil pests should thus be the focus of future pest and pathogen management strategies and breeding programmes in A. cruentus.  

“Knowledge gained in my thesis will hopefully aid in the development of future cultivation practices, integrated pest/pathogen management programmes, as well as for the registration of crop protection products for A. cruentus,” Marcele added.

Research Contributes to Food Security from University of the Free State on Vimeo.

News Archive

During 2011: Infrastructure at the UFS
2011-12-01

Video clips:

Health Sciences Building
Clinical Skills Centre
Economic Sciences and Lecture Hall Building
Teacher Education Building
Biotechnology Building


A publication in which the infrastructure developments at the UFS are portrayed, was published this year. This publication celebrates the enormous development projects undertaken.
 
Description: 2011 Infrastructure_part 1 Tags: 2011 Infrastructure_part 1  Description: 2011 Infrastructure_part 2 Tags: 2011 Infrastructure_part 2  Description: 2011 Infrastructure_part 3 Tags: 2011 Infrastructure_part 3 
Constructive change (part 1) Constructive change (part 2) Constructive change (part 3)

Much has been done this past year to improve the infrastructure of our Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses with several buildings being built, some renovated and improvements made. Attention was specifically given to the growing need for lecture hall facilities and office space.

Some of the developments on our Bloemfontein Campus include: a brand-new entrance in Nelson Mandela Drive; a Memorial for Women and a Botanical Garden; a building for teacher education opposite the UFS Sasol Library; a building for our Faculty of Health Sciences opposite the Francois Retief Building; a Clinical Skills Centre for Allied Health Professions (the first in the country); and a building for our Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences between the Flippie Groenewoud Building and Wynand Mouton Theatre.

On our Qwaqwa Campus a building for teacher education is being constructed and some of the laboratories were refurbished and upgraded. More student accommodation is also well underway. A village development of four housing units that will accommodate 1000 students will be constructed on our Bloemfontein Campus.
Renovations and extensions were also made to some of the existing buildings such as the Architecture Building, the Biotechnology Building, the Department of Chemistry, the Stef Coetzee Building, the foyer of the Odeion, the Wynand Mouton Theatre and the Callie Human Centre. A staff restaurant has also been established on the Bloemfontein Campus and the building of ‘Little Professors’, a nursery school, is well underway.
“A building not only signals value to the outside; it also builds value on the inside. That is why it is important to notice how space has been organised and allocated to enhance the building of a community and to give academics, students and communities a sense of belonging to the university,” says Prof. Jonathan Jansen, our Vice-Chancellor and Rector.

The funding for most of the projects was made possible with an infrastructural grant from the Department of Education and Training.
 

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept