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Prof Botma Visser takes on rust diseases threatening South Africa’s wheat

09 September 2025 | Story Martinette Brits | Photo Stephen Collett

Safeguarding one of the world’s most vital staple foods was at the heart of the inaugural lecture delivered by Prof Botma Visser, Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS), on Wednesday 3 September 2025. Prof Visser shared insights from nearly two decades of research into wheat rust – a devastating crop disease that threatens both South Africa’s harvests and global food security.

“Wheat production in South Africa is threatened by three fungal pathogens that cause rust disease on the crop. Understanding the factors that contribute to virulence on locally grown cultivars is crucial to ensure continued wheat production,” said Prof Visser.

The fight against evolving wheat rusts

For the past 17 years, Prof Visser’s research has focused on the genetic structure of rust populations and the risks they pose to food security. His work has shown that these populations are dynamic and constantly changing due to genetic mutations within existing races, as well as the introduction of new races into South Africa.

“Computer modelling showed that rust can spread over vast distances by prevailing winds. During the 20th Century, at least four Southern African stem rust races managed to move across the Indian Ocean from Southern Africa to Australia. South Africa, in turn, received multiple new races from mid-Africa across Zambia and Zimbabwe, without any means of stopping these introductions,” he explained.

To respond to this challenge, his team recently implemented MARPLE (Mobile And Real-time Plant disEase) diagnostics using fourth-generation nanopore sequencing technology. This approach allows the rapid characterisation of fungal isolates, specifically targeting genes linked to fungicide resistance and virulence.

“This work,” Prof Visser noted, “is part of an effort to safeguard global wheat production.”

His research is a collaborative effort with Prof Willem Boshoff (Department of Plant Sciences, UFS) and Dr Tarekegn Terefe (Agricultural Research Council – Small Grain, Bethlehem). Together, their work has positioned the UFS as an internationally recognised centre of excellence in wheat rust research.

About Prof Botma Visser

Prof Botma Visser obtained his BSc in Botany and Microbiology (1988), BSc Honours in Microbiology (1989), and MSc in Botany (1993) at the University of the Free State, where he also completed his PhD in Botany in 2004.

His career spans more than 18 years of research into wheat rust pathogens, combining annual surveys, race pathotyping, molecular genetics, and cutting-edge sequencing technologies. His expertise has not only advanced understanding of rust population dynamics in South Africa but also contributed to global collaborative studies on crop disease.

News Archive

Staff, students, learners and the public opened their hearts during R5 coin-laying ceremony

2012-07-19

Photo: Sonia Small
18 July 2012

Amidst a festive atmosphere on the Red Square in front of the Main Building on the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS), students, staff, learners and members of the public came together to make their contribution to stop hunger.

In celebration of former president Nelson Mandela’s birthday, the university collected money and food in the form of a coin-laying ceremony, the packing of food parcels, and a message delivered by Emeritus Archbishop Desmond Tutu in aid of the university’s No Student Hungry (NSH) campaign and Bloemfontein Child Welfare.

Representatives from schools in Bloemfontein donated their R5 coins, together with university staff, students, members of the public, and employees of Pick n Pay Hyper. Money collected at the coin-laying ceremony will be shared between NSH and Bloemfontein Child Welfare.

According to Ms Grace Jansen and Ms Carin Buys, patrons of NSH, the more than R42 000 that was collected will be donated to Bloemfontein Child Welfare in an effort by NSH to give back to the community. “We are impressed by the number of people who showed up and by the fact that people opened their hearts and pockets to give,” said Ms Buys.

Thirty employees of Pick n Pay Hyper in Bloemfontein were also present and packed 1 833 food parcels (equivalent to 11 000 meals). This forms part of a Pick n Pay initiative in cooperation with Stop Hunger Now that is being held countrywide today.

In total, 88 000 meals will be distributed in six cities in South Africa today. The 11 000 meals in the Free State have been donated to the university and according to Ms Jansen a social worker at the UFS will distribute it to other needy students. These are students who do not receive bursaries from NSH at the moment. Every food parcel contains rice, dried vegetables, soya, and vitamin and mineral enriched powder.

The university was honoured to have Emeritus Archbishop Desmond Tutu as the speaker at the event. He attended a dialogue in the Series of Dialogue between Science and Society today at the university where he took part in a conversation with Profs. Mark Solms and Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela as part of the Global Leadership Summit.

He made a special appearance at the university’s Nelson Mandela Day festivities. His message was simple but inspiring: “Everyone has, just like Madiba, the capacity to change lives. I hope there are people present who can say that they want to improve someone else’s life. You have the chance to make South Africa a country where no one goes to bed hungry. Help us to make South Africa a country where we have compassion for each other and care for each other”.

The UFS would like to thank the following schools for their contributions:

Grey Kollege Primêre Skool
Grey Kollege
St Michael's School for Girls
Hoërskool Jim Fouché
Hoërskool Fichardtpark
Hoërskool Sentraal
Navalsig High School
HTS Louis Botha
Eunice High School

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