Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
10 June 2020 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied
Prof Zakkie Pretorius, left, plays a significant role in providing pathology support to the plant breeding industry.Prof Liezel Herselman contributes to plant breeding in Southern Africa by training and mentoring the plant breeders of the future.

The Southern African Plant Breeders’ Association (SAPBA) recently bestowed prestigious awards upon Prof Zakkie Pretorius, Research Fellow in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS), and Prof Liezel Herselman, Associate Professor in the same department. This institution strives to maintain high ethical standards and norms, contributing to stable, sustainable agriculture.

During the 13th Southern African Plant Breeders’ Association symposium, Prof Herselman was presented with a Fellow Award and Prof Pretorius with Honorary Membership. They received the awards for their services to and promotion of the SAPBA objectives, together with their exceptional contributions to plant breeding. 

Provide food for the nation
Over the years, Prof Pretorius, who has extensive expertise in diseases of field crops – more specifically the rust diseases of small grain cereal crops – has played a significant role in providing pathology support to the plant breeding industry. He has also conducted ground-breaking pathology research on rust diseases in field crops. In 2019, he co-authored an article that appeared in Nature, the world’s leading multidisciplinary science journal. He is also shortlisted as a 2020 finalist in the Lifetime Award and Special Theme Award (Plant Health) of the National Science and Technology Forum. Furthermore, he regularly attended and participated in biennial conferences and supervised plant breeding students working on plant disease projects. 

Prof Herselman contributes to plant breeding in Southern Africa by training and mentoring the plant breeders of the future. “As a lecturer of fourth-year and honours Plant Breeding students, as well as supervisor and promoter of master’s and doctoral students, I am in the fortunate position to teach and mentor my students in one of the newest fields of plant breeding, namely marker-assisted plant breeding. All future plant breeders need this knowledge to make a success of their breeding programmes. Our students are the future plant breeders who will provide food to the nation,” she says. 

"As a plant pathologist, I am privileged to have been able to contribute to the quest for disease resistance in crop improvement and to have been recognised for it.” – Prof Zakkie Pretorius
The highest honour
Prof Pretorius view recognition by the industry – in this case, the plant breeding fraternity – as the highest honour for someone working in agricultural science. “As a plant pathologist, I am privileged to have been able to contribute to the quest for disease resistance in crop improvement and to have been recognised for it. I am also extremely grateful to colleagues and co-workers who have contributed over many years to the establishment of a productive and influential research group at the UFS,” he says.

Prof Herselman shares this sentiment. She says: “It means so much to me to know that I have made a difference and an impact on my students’ lives. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to work with under- and postgraduate students and to see them grow.”

She continues: “We strive to send out well-rounded students who can make a difference in the workplace and the community. This award means that I have succeeded in this goal, even though I do my work because I am passionate about it and not to receive recognition.”

Fight against fungal disease continues
Prof Pretorius continues to be involved in studies on host plant resistance and pathogenic variability. 

As a molecular plant breeder, Prof Herselman is pushing on with research focusing on the development of wheat lines with improved disease resistance. The work that she is doing makes a difference on both national and international level. “As part of my current research programme, we have made rust- and Fusarium head blight-resistant wheat lines available to South African breeding companies for use in their breeding programmes. The lines developed at the UFS will in a small way contribute towards the fight against fungal diseases in South Africa, thus securing the yield and livelihoods of farmers and consumers,” she says.

Her master’s and doctoral students who have completed their studies, also take the knowledge they gained at the UFS back to their countries and workplaces where they ultimately add value, especially contributing towards the fight against hunger. 

"“We strive to send out well-rounded students who can make a difference in the workplace and the community. This award means that I have succeeded in this goal, even though I do my work because I am passionate about it and not to receive recognition.” – Prof Liezel Herselman

News Archive

Kovsies / Pukke Intervarsity 2008: Results
2008-08-14

SPORTKODE SPANNE TEAMS   UITSLAE / RESULTS
      UV / UFS PUK
GHOLF / GOLF MANS / MEN   1 7
      * *
KARATE MANS / MEN   * *
  DAMES / LADIES   * *
TAFELTENNIS / TABLE TENNIS UV USSA TEAM PUK USSA TEAM 4 2
PLUIMBAL/ BADMINTON UV / UFS PUK 1 0
  UV / UFS PUK 0 1
VLUGBAL / VOLLEYBALL UV MANS / UFS MEN PUK MANS 5 0
MUURBAL / SQUASH UV USSA TEAM PUK USSA TEAM 4 2
LANDLOOP / CROSS COUNTRY UV MANS / UFS MEN PUK MANS * *
  UV VROUE / UFS WOMEN PUK VROUE * *
BASKETBAL / BASKETBALL UV MANS / UFS MEN PUK MANS * *
SOKKER FOOTBALL UFS 1 MEN ALS PUK MEN 2 1
SOCCER UFS 2 MEN PUK 2 MEN 0 1
  UFS WOMEN PUK WOMEN 4 0
TENNIS UV MANS / UFS MEN PUK MANS 4 11
  UV VROUE / UFS WOMEN PUK VROUE 14 1
HOKKIE HOCKEY ABSA KOVSIES WOMEN PUK WOMEN 0 8
HOCKEY ABSA UFS 2 WOMEN PUK 2 WOMEN 1 3
  SOETDORING VMN 1 2
  SONNEDOU WNB 2 1
  ROOSMARYN DINKI 2 1
  EMILY HOBHOUSE HEIDE 0 5
  ABSA KOVSIES MEN PUK MEN 0 3
  ARMENTUM VERITAS 2 1
  VERITAS EXCELSIOR 5 0
  KNIGHTS PATRIA (DAAG NIE OP) 1 0
NETBAL NETBALL SOETDORING DINKI 35 25
NETBALL WNB EIKENHOF 39 24
  MARJOLEIN MINJONET 14 20
  VMN 2 BELLATRIX 12 28
  VMN 1 WANDA 16 25
  ROOSMARYN VMN 22 35
  EMILY HOBHOUSE KARLIEN 11 26
  SOETDORING 2 WNB 17 23
RUGBY FNB SHIMLAS PUKKE 20 21
  IRAWAS IBBIES 12 18
  UV / UFS U/21 PUK O/21 30 13
  UV / UFS U/19 PUK O/19 24 11
  UV RITSIMS PUK 3 0 19
  ARMENTUM VERITAS 7 5
  VISHUIS WILGERS 22 31
  KAREE CAPUT 13 43
  JBM VILLAGERS 18 17
  LANDBOU INGENIEURS 33 10
  REITZ PATRIA 40 8
  VERITAS OVERS 3 38
INTERVARSITY OPSOMMING / SUMMARY 2008      
      KOVSIES PUKKE
         
WEDSTRYDE / GAMES     41 41
GEWEN / WON     0 0
VERLOOR / LOST     0 0
GELYK / DRAWN     0 0
         
INTERVARSITY OPSOMMING / SUMMARY 2007      
      KOVSIES PUKKE
         
WEDSTRYDE / GAMES     41 41
GEWEN / WON     13 27
VERLOOR / LOST     27 13
GELYK / DRAWN     1 1
INTERVARSITY OPSOMMING / SUMMARY 2006      
      KOVSIES PUKKE
WEDSTRYDE / GAMES     46 46
GEWEN / WON     27 16
VERLOOR / LOST     16 27
GELYK / DRAWN     3 3

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