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07 August 2025 | Story Martinette Brits | Photo Stephen Collett
Prof Willem Boshoff
Prof Willem Boshoff shares insights from decades of rust disease research during his inaugural lecture at the University of the Free State.

Rust diseases of food crops remain one of agriculture’s most enduring and evolving challenges. In his inaugural lecture on 23 July 2025 at the University of the Free State (UFS), Prof Willem Boshoff shared how these complex pathogens continue to pose a significant threat to South Africa’s staple crops – and why continued research is more critical than ever.

Titled Battling rust diseases of food crops in South Africa, the lecture reflected on decades of rust research and recent developments in pathogen virulence. Prof Boshoff, from the Department of Plant Sciences, emphasised that the threat posed by rust fungi today stems from their “mechanisms of variability, their ease of long-distance spore dispersal, and subsequent foreign race incursions”.

 

A shifting disease landscape

Rust fungi are biotrophic organisms that cannot be cultured on artificial growth media. This makes rust research a technically demanding field that requires living pathogen collections, seed sources, skilled researchers, and specialised infrastructure. Prof Boshoff noted that for more than 35 years, the UFS has been at the forefront of this work, monitoring rust pathogens on wheat, barley, oats, maize, and sunflower.

While wheat remains the most extensively studied type, recent rust outbreaks across a range of crops point to a worrying trend. A localised outbreak of stem rust on spring wheat in the Western Cape has been linked to race BFGSF, which carries a previously unknown combination of virulence genes affecting both wheat and triticale. In 2021, leaf rust race CNPSK was detected, showing virulence to the highly effective Lr9 resistance gene.

More recently, stripe rust race 142E30A+ – first reported in Zimbabwe – was found in wheat cultivars from the Free State and northern irrigation areas. “Results revealed increased susceptibility of especially spring irrigation wheat cultivars,” Prof Boshoff explained, particularly due to its virulence to the Yr9 and Yr27 resistance genes.

Rust pathogens affecting other crops are also evolving. In maize, only a few lines with mostly stacked resistance gene combinations were effective against all tested isolates. In sunflower, just four of 30 Agricultural Research Council national trial hybrids showed resistance to local rust races.

 

Building better resistance

A key strategy in rust control lies in identifying and understanding resistance in host plants. This, Prof Boshoff stressed, requires optimised phenotyping systems for both greenhouse and field conditions, along with a solid understanding of available resistance sources. At the UFS, several recent studies have contributed valuable data to both local and international plant breeding programmes.

“Continued local and regional rust research is critical,” he said. “It supports early detection of new races, alerts to producers through updated cultivar responses, and enables efficient breeding strategies and other sustainable methods of rust management.”

The rust programme at the UFS has not only supported varietal release and on-farm risk management, but also strengthened collaboration between plant scientists, industry partners, and international researchers. With South Africa’s strategic location and history of rust surveillance, the programme continues to play a pivotal role in continental and global food security efforts.

 

About Prof Willem Boshoff

Prof Willem Boshoff is a plant pathologist with a strong background in wheat breeding and rust disease control. He holds four degrees from the University of the Free State, all awarded cum laude: a BScAgric (1994), BScAgric Honours (1995), MScAgric (1997), and PhDAgric (2001). His doctoral research focused on the control of foliar rusts in wheat.

Between 2001 and 2016, he worked as a wheat breeder and contributed to the release of several commercial cultivars. He joined the UFS Department of Plant Sciences in 2017 and has since been actively involved in national and international research projects, capacity development, and advancing disease resistance in food crops.

News Archive

Tanya takes over netball reins from big sister
2016-07-04

Description: Tanya Mostert USSA SASPA Tags: Tanya Mostert USSA

Tanya Mostert will lead the University of
the Free State Netball team at the USSA
tournament in Cape Town.

Photo: SASPA

Last year, big sister led the Kovsie team, and now it is the turn of her little sister. Tanya Mostert will be filling the shoes of her big sister, Karla Mostert, when she leads the University of the Free State (UFS) team in the USSA tournament in Cape Town from Monday 4 July 2016.

Karla now helping as defence coach

Karla was captain in Johannesburg in 2015 when the UFS lost against Tuks in the USSA final by 39-48. The star of the Proteas is too old to play for the UFS again, and is now helping out as defence coach. Karla and Lauren-Lee Christians, who won’t be playing in the USSA tournament, were included in the South African Universities Netball team that will compete in the World Student Games in Miami, America, from 13 to 17 July 2016.

The Kovsie Netball team is one of seven UFS sports teams competing in USSA tournaments. The others are hockey (men and women), rugby, badminton, basketball, squash, and volleyball.

Mostert sisters are both natural leaders

Like Karla, Tanya is a natural leader. She was captain of the Zwartkop High School team, as well as the Free State U19 and U21 teams. “It is amazing that two children from the same home are both leaders, even if there is naturally a difference in their leadership style,” says Burta de Kock, the Kovsie coach.
“For me as coach, it is also wonderful to know that they (Karla and Maryka Holtzhausen, Protea captain and Kovsie assistant coach) are prepared to plough back at this young age. They are also role models for the other players.”
According to De Kock, she has a strong USSA group and wants the UFS to perform better than in 2015.

The UFS teams taking part in the USSA tournaments from Monday 4 July 2016 are:

  • Netball (Cape Town)
  • Hockey (men and women, Johannesburg)
  • Rugby (East London)
  • Badminton (Stellenbosch)
  • Basketball (Johannesburg)
  • Squash (Stellenbosch)
  • Volleyball (Pretoria)

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