Page 18 - Landscape SA Issue 107

FEATURE

INFLUENTIAL SOUTHERN

AFRICAN PLANT bREEDERS

The Southern African Plant breeders Association (SAPbA) last year identified the most
influential plant breeders in Africa for 2020. The association is dedicated to promoting

the science and art of plant breeding as a profession, through communication among
private and public sector institutions. Below are the names and abbreviated information
of the plant breeders, in no particular order.

Prof. Hussein Shimelis serves as a full Martin Alberts has been in the plant breeding
professor, chair of crop science and deputy industry for more than 35 years, 22 of which
director of the African Centre for Crop were with Monsanto and the last two with Bayer
Improvement (ACCI) at UkZN’s School Crop Sciences. (Monsanto was acquired by bayer
of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental in 2018). He was key in developing the DkC80
Sciences. He is a reviewer of articles submitted and DKC73 series of products for Monsanto,
to the South African Journal of Plant and Soil, cementing the company as a major role player
where he is associate editor. A committed plant in the South African maize market.
breeder and researcher, he has peer-reviewed His global footprint expanded to sub-Saharan
many articles and supervised post-graduate students. He is a Africa (SSA) when he became the commercial breeder for eastern
member of the Pan African Demand-Led breeding Leadership and western SSA. He is passionate about the development of new
Team, training African plant breeders. This will translate into the hybrids and has been an active advisor and mentor for young
commercialisation of new plant varieties for the enhancement of research associates and breeders.
food security in Africa.
Amsal Tesfaye earned his PhD in plant breeding
Dr. Marvellous Zhou is a plant breeding in 2001 from the University of the Free State and
project manager at the South African Sugar his MSc in Agronomy in 1994 from the Alemaya
Cane Research Institute (SASRI). He began University of Agriculture, Ethiopia. He has 33
his career in 1990 as a breeder at the Cotton years of experience in wheat and maize field
Research Institute in Zimbabwe and the joined breeding and has contributed significantly to
the Zimbabwe Sugar Association Experiment the success of various regional and international
Station (ZSAES). In 2005, he joined the Sugar maize breeding projects.
Cane Genetics Laboratory at Louisiana State He has supervised PhD and MSc students and
University as a research graduate breeder. has published 41 articles in peer review journals.
Over the years he has released 28 SASRI sugar cane varieties, ten
ZSAES sugar cane cultivars and six cotton cultivars. Cobus Swanepoel obtained his BSc Honours
He holds a Masters of Applied Statistics and PhD in Plant degree in 2001, and thereafter his MSc from
Breeding and Genetics from Louisiana State University and has the University of the Free State, where he is also
published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, presented at currently busy with his PhD.
conferences and is an associate professor at the University of In 1997 he joined the Agricultural Research
the Free State. He has supervised PhD and MSc degrees. He was Council as a plant breeder in their Institute
vice president and member of the executive committee of SAPbA for Tropical and Sub-Tropical Crops, where he
from 2016 to 2018. was responsible for developing and screening
new mango cultivars exported to international
Antony Jarvie completed his bSc (Agric) Crop markets, and macadamia cultivars for the local industry.
Sciences degree at UKZN, and later his MSc He acts as a mentor for young plant breeders who have profited
(Agric) in 1994, followed by his PhD in 2009. from his vast knowledge. He is presently a breeding programme
Both degrees are in plant breeding. His areas manager for Starke Ayre’s research department.
of interest are soy bean rust tolerance, yield
stability, drought tolerance and IP protection. Dr Ephrame Havazidi, attained his M.Phil degree
Two of his most successful breeding products in crop science in 1989, and a D.Phil degree in
have been dry bean varieties – PAN 148 and plant breeding and genetics in 2003, both at the
PAN 123. University of Zimbabwe. While working for the
While managing and leading the bean and soy research Seed Co-Operative Company of Zimbabwe as a
activities, he was also the research station manager at Greytown. seed production agronomist, he was a pioneer
He became a specialist consultant on soy and dry beans in the field of research dealing with improving
breeding and research, and has 32 years working experience as yields and quality of crop seeds. Much of this
a commercial breeder in southern Africa. He became a fellow work was on maize hybrid seed production.
member of SAPbA in 2020. His wheat breeding work (1982-2011) yielded 28 high performing
spring wheat varieties.

16 Landscape SA • Issue 107 2021