Article and photo by Engela Duvenage
F
ive MSc students of the
Plant Breeding Laboratory
in the Department of Genetics are among the first
Stellenbosch University students to
be using the upgraded growth
room facilities of the Faculty of
AgriSciences for grain experiments.
With the flick of a switch they can
now change the light spectrum
shining on the plants, and rest assured that the temperature in the
growth room will remain constant.
Irma van Zyl is for instance conducting experiments on pollen mediated
gene flow and crossability of small
grain cereals. The research of
Wandile Ngcamphalala, Jabulani
Mthembu, Nondumiso Cebehulu
and S-W Meintjes relates to the
Plant Breeding Laboratory’s wheat
pre-breeding programme.
The facilities have been upgraded
and modernised thanks to R2 mil-
lion being made available through
the Faculty of AgriSciences’ Strategic Fund. “This is in an effort to ensure that we remain at the forefront of wheat and genetic research
in South Africa, to the advantage of
the local industry,” explains Dr Michael-John Freeborough, manager
of the Faculty of AgriSciences.
lish six new growth room units and
a preparation area. Each room has
a small entrance lobby with a double door system to improve temperature management and to address
bio-safety aspects. New work areas
and energy saving LED lighting to
better regulate temperatures are
part of the refurbishment
The building on the Welgevallen
Experimental Farm in which the
growth rooms are housed, was
erected by the Wheat Board many
years ago. It however started to
became outdated and fell into a
state of disrepair. “The lighting was
not very energy efficient and had to
be changed by hand, while adequate maintenance was becoming
an issue,” says plant breeder Willem
Botes of the Department of Genetics.
“Although the use of LED lighting is
becoming more common in households, this growth room project is
one of the first of its kind in South
Africa to use this kind of lighting,”
Botes explains. The system was designed and installed by a South African supplier, Tech Trend.
The existing eight growth rooms
inside the facility were demolished
and the space re-utilised to estab-
Members of the Plant Breeding Laboratory are not the only to have
access to the new facilities. It is
also regularly used by the Department of Agronomy and Prof AnnaMaria Oberholster of the Wheat
Genomics Laboratory in the Department of Genetics.
If all goes according to plan, the
remaining space will be made available to other researchers in the
Faculty of AgriSciences.
“It is ideal for researchers who need
to perform experiments in a growth
room under specific controlled light
and temperature conditions,” explains Botes.
Plant breeder Willem Botes of the
Department of Genetics and MSc
student Irma van Zyl at work in
one of the growth rooms.
Photo: Engela Duvenage