MOTLOTLENG THIPE

About

Motlotleng Thipe, born and bred in Thaba-Nchu, a small town in the Free State Province, South Africa. I hold an MSc in plant pathology, which I obtained from Agrarian University Plovdiv in Bulgaria. My MSc focused on studying herbicide detoxification in maize as a non-target crop. Upon completion of my MSc studies, I then joined the Agricultural Research Council, Small Grain Institute in Bethlehem, Free State, South Africa, as an intern in the Crop Protection Department, where I was exposed to different trials/ experiments (both field and controlled environment) encompassing biological control of pests and diseases using entomopathogenic nematodes and their bacterial symbiont. This experience then fueled my passion for the biological control of plant pests and diseases to reduce the overreliance on agrochemicals, which pose environmental risks, and their repeated use may lead to pest and disease resistance. Currently, I am a PhD candidate at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, with a project focused on studying the biochemistry and phenotype of wheat infected with leaf rust (Puccinia triticina) response to seed treatment with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria under field and glasshouse conditions, supervised by Dr. M Mhlongo (UJ) and Dr. T Terefe (ARC-SG).