Ms Benedicta Swalarsk-Parry

About

I joined FABI in 2014 to study an Honours degree in Microbiology. My honours project focused on the detection of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with different phenotypic traits of two important plant pathogens in the Fusarium fujikuroi species complex, Fusarium circinatum and Fusarium temperatum. For my MSc, I further identified a QTL associated with growth of Fusrium circinatum.

In my PhD I will be sequencing 106 Fusarium circinatum genomes to use for a Genome Wide Association study.

Highlights

Education

B.Sc Microbiology from University of Pretoria (2010 - 2013).B.Sc (Hons) Microbiology from Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, University of Pretoria (2014). Project title: Detection of quantitative trait loci associated with various phenotypic traits in Fusarium circinatum and Fusarium temperatum. Supervisors: Prof Emma Steenkamp and Dr. Lieschen De Vos.MSc in Microbiology from Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, University of Pretoria (2015-2017). Dissertation title: Characterization of a growth QTL in Fusariumcircinatum.Supervisors: Dr. Lieschen De Vos, Prof Emma Steenkamp, and Prof Brenda Wingfield. Ph.D. in Microbiologyfrom Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, University of Pretoria (2017- Ongoing). Thesis title: A CRISPR approach to studying genes involved in phenotypic traits of F. circinatum and F. temperatum. Supervisors: Prof Emma Steenkamp, Dr. Lieschen De Vos, and Prof Brenda Wingfield.

Teaching

First Author

Swalarsk-Parry BS, L de Vos, BD Wingfield, A Hammabacher and ET Steenkamp (2017) Comparative growth study of Fusarium circinatum and Fusarium temperatum on host-plant derived media. In South African Society of Plant Pathology, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa.

Swalarsk-Parry BS, ET Steenkamp, A Hammabacher, BD Wingfield, and L de Vos (2018) Association of a quantitative trait locus with growth of Fusarium circinatum. In International Congress of Plant Pathology, Boston, USA.

Swalarsk-Parry BS, L de Vos, BD Wingfield, A Hammabacher and ET Steenkamp (2018) Characterization of a growth QTL in Fusarium circinatum. In South African Society for Microbiology, Muldersdrift, Gauteng, South Africa.

Swalarsk-Parry BS , van der Nest MA, De Vos L , Santana QC, Wingfield BD, Steenkamp ET(2022) GWAS for identifying genes associated with virulence in F. circinatum.In 31st Fungal Genetics Conference, Pacific Grove, California, USA.

Co-Author

Soal, N.C, E.T. Steenkamp, A. Fourie, L. de Vos, B.S. Swalarsk-Parry, B.D. Wingfield and M.A. van der Nest (2018) Identification of genes associated with growth rate in Ceratocystis albifundus, using Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS). In South African Association of Botanists, Pretoria, South Africa.

Soal, N.C, E.T. Steenkamp, A. Fourie, L. de Vos, B.S. Swalarsk-Parry, B.D. Wingfield and M.A. van der Nest (2018) Genome wide association study (GWAS) to identify genes associated with mycelial growth rate in the plant pathogen Ceratocystis albifundus. In South African Society for Microbiology, Muldersdrift, Gauteng, South Africa.

De Vos L, B.S Swalarsk-Parry, M.A van der Nest, D.A Herron, E.T Steenkamp and B.D Wingfield (2019) Genetic investigations into pathogenicity and growth of a South African population of Fusarium circinatum. In 30th Fungal Genetics Conference, Pacific Grove, California, USA.

My Publications

Journal Articles (6)

van Dijk A, Wilson AM, Marx B, Hough B, Swalarsk-Parry BS, De Vos L, Wingfield MJ, Wingfield BD, Steenkamp ET (2025) CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing reveals that the Pgs gene of Fusarium circinatum is involved in pathogenicity, growth and sporulation.. Fungal Genetics and Biology. doi: 10.1016/j.fgb.2025.103970

Dankie VN, Steenkamp ET, De Vos L, Swalarsk-Parry BS, Dewing C, Fru F, Wilken PM, Mchunu NP, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ, van der Nest MA (2025) Growth, pathogenicity and sexual fertility of the African tree pathogen Ceratocystis albifundus. Journal of Plant Pathology. 107. doi: 10.1007/s42161-024-01634-y

Swalarsk-Parry BS, De Vos L, Fru FF, Santana QC, van der Nest MA, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ, Herron DA, Ramaswe JB, Dewing C, Sayari M, van der Merwe NA, van Wyk S, Lane FA, Wilson AM, Adegeye OO, Soal NC, Price J-L, Steenkamp ET (2024) Wide variation in aggressiveness and growth in South African Fusarium circinatum isolates with geographical origin as the primary determinant. Southern Forests: a Journal of Forest Science. doi: 10.2989/20702620.2024.2363749

Swalarsk Parry BS, Steenkamp ET, Van Wyk S, Santana QC, van der Nest MA, Hammerbacher A, Wingfield BD, De Vos L (2022) Identification and characterization of a QTL for growth of Fusarium circinatum on pine-based medium. Journal of Fungi. 8. doi: 10.3390/jof8111214

Phasha, M.M., Wingfield, M.J., Wingfield, B.D., Coetzee, M.P.A., Hallen-Adams, H., Fru, F., Swalarsk-Parry, B.S., Yilmaz, N., Duong, T.A., Steenkamp, E.T. (2021) Ras2 is important for growth and pathogenicity in Fusarium circinatum. 150. doi: 10.1016/j.fgb.2021.103541

Wingfield BD, Bills GF, Dong Y, Huang W, Nel WJ, Swalarsk-Parry BS, Vaghefi N, Wilken PM, An Z, de Beer ZW, De Vos L, Chen L, Duong TA, Gao Y, Hammerbacher A, Kikkert JR, Li Y, Li H, Li K, Li Q, Liu X, Ma X, Naidoo K, Pethybridge SJ, Sun J, Steenkamp ET, van der Nest M, van Wyk S, Wingfield MJ, Xiong C, Yue Q, Zhang X (2018) IMA Genome-F 9 Draft genome sequence of Annulohypoxylon stygium, Aspergillus mulundensis, Berkeleyomyces basicola (syn. Thielaviopsis basicola), Ceratocystis smalleyi, two Cercospora beticola strains, Coleophoma cylindrospora, Fusarium fracticaudum, Phialophora cf. hyalina, and Morchella septimelata. IMA Fungus. 9. doi: 10.5598/imafungus.2018.09.01.13

Ms Benedicta Swalarsk-Parry

Ms Benedicta Swalarsk-Parry

About

Highlights

Education

Teaching

Student Mentorship and Supervision

Volunteer programmes

Conference attendance

Scholarships

Awards

Workshop attendance

My Publications

Journal Articles (6)

My Publications