Prof Mark Delmege Laing

Degrees          

All from the University of Natal: BSc, BSc Honours, PhD 1996 Epidemiology and control of crucifer blackleg in KwaZulu-Natal.

Present post:

1. Senior Professor and Chair of Plant Pathology
2. Director, African Centre for Crop Improvement (ACCI)

Work Activities:

1. Academic, scientific and administrative leadership of the Discipline of Plant Pathology at UKZN;
2. Manage the ACCI, which is funded by AGRA, with 24 staff and 97 PhD students from 14 African countries being trained in Plant Breeding on 16 crops.
3. Manage a range of research projects, with 62 postgraduates at present, across multiple disciplines: Plant Pathology, Plant Breeding, Entomology, Animal Science, Food Security, Nematology, Genetics, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Agricultural Engineering, Hydrology.

Outputs to Date

1. 91 ISI accredited publications, 41 popular publications; 168 conference proceedings, 6 books co-edited, 20 book chapters co-authored.
2. Personally supervised or co-supervised to completion 8 post-docs, 49 PhD, 56 MSc and 88 BSc Honours students to graduation; Current supervision or co-supervision of 7 post-docs, 34 PhDs, 18 MSc and 3 BSc Honours students.

Primary Research Interests:

1. Biocontrol of diseases, pests and nematodes, pre- and postharvest, using fungi, yeasts, bacteria, viruses, nematodes;
2. Biofertilizers and biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) (using Azotobacter, Bacillus, Rhizobium);
3. Use of silicon as a fertilizer to manage biotic and abiotic stress;
4. Plant breeding: African food security crops, biofuel crops, ornamentals
5. Integration of plant breeding and biocontrol of Striga of cereal crops;
6. Biofuel (sugar), biomass and bioplastics crops for Africa – breeding, hydrology (water use efficiency), agronomy, entomology, plant pathology, weeds.