About My Role

I’ve always been drawn to the biological sciences, thanks to some fantastic educators during high school. However, I was never aware of the agricultural sciences, and it wasn’t until later, in my academic career, that I found a path there. I studied crop production systems with a focus in horticultural sciences and entomology. Here my interests naturally fell into subjects regarding plant pathology, entomology, horticultural sciences, and plant physiology. For my fourth-year research, I looked into edible coatings and their effect on the quality of stone fruit, working with Dr Olaniyi Fawole. I also spent some time working on a table grape farm in Kakamas, which was definitely a memorable experience.

I then worked alongside Prof. Antoinette Malan and her team, developing protocols for the mass culture of local entomopathogenic nematodes and creating stable formulations for biocontrol products. Here I was introduced to Mr Matthew Addison and Dr Charlene Janion-Scheepers, who convinced me to dive into a novel research project on Collembola (springtails) in agricultural landscapes for my masters research which— I initiated at the start of the pandemic. This led to a study on the effects of organic mulch and shade nets on Collembola communities in apple orchards in the Witzenberg Municipality, Western Cape—an important crop production region. The findings revealed that organic mulch plays a significant role in buffering seasonal population fluctuations and enhancing taxonomic diversity. This was the first detailed study of collembola in apple orchards in Africa (yet to be published, coming soon!). Additionally, the pilot study on the influence of shade nets may be the first to look at their effect on these soil hexapods (published work on the influence of shade nets on soil fauna is sparse).

This project ignited my interest in soil ecology, an area that was glaringly absent from my coursework, yet so crucial to crop production. In fact, I believe that understanding and managing soil ecology in agroecosystems is a valuable strategy for addressing many of the challenges modern agriculture faces. This work adds to a growing body of research that show how simple practices like mulching can improve soil health in agroecosystems and contribute to more sustainable agricultural systems—an important step in combating soil degradation and ensuring food security in a rapidly changing world.

What I do at SEER

I’m currently working alongside Dr Janion-Scheepers and her research team, both in the lab and in the field. I’ve primarily been involved with Abusisiwe Ndaba’s (and Coşkun Küçükkaragöz’s) work— check out their profile to learn more. I’ve also assisted with Lindiwe and Gemma’s projects and worked on samples from Prince Edward Island.

Currently, Dr Janion-Scheepers and I are conducting a long-term study on the impact of cover crops on soil fauna in a citrus orchard, in collaboration with Citrus Research INternational, ARC, and Stellenbosch University. In addition to that, we’re preparing for a HSFP-funded project investigating ant coexistence, in collaboration with Dr Tom Bishop (Cardiff University), Dr Andrew Davies (Harvard University) and Dr Rebecca Senior (University of Durham). For now, these two projects will be my main focus but I am sure I’ll get involved in other exciting projects— stay tuned!

Project Photos below