Dr Tshililo Emmanuel Mphephu, an entomologist and postdoctoral fellow at the NRF/DSI SARCHI Chair Biodiversity Value and Change, Department of Biological Sciences within the Faculty of Science, Engineering, and Agriculture, recently welcomed Ms Danisile Nicente Mabasa, a final-year MSc candidate from the University of Limpopo. Dr Mabulwana Paseka supervises Ms Mabasa, and her visit aimed to enhance her understanding of advanced plant anatomy techniques.
L-R: Ms Danisile Mabasa and Dr Tshililo Mphephu
Thanks to the generous support of Ms Mankone Legodi, a Lab Technician in the Biological Sciences Department, Dr Mphephu provided a well-equipped plant anatomy laboratory for Ms Mabasa’s training.
While at UNIVEN, she focused on mastering the hand-sectioning technique for anatomical micros-copy studies, gaining valuable hands-on experience with various methods.
Ms Mabasa’s research centers on characterising morpho-anatomical modifications induced by plant growth regulators through seed imbibition, seedling, and foliar pre-treatment in soybeans. Although plant anatomy has not been a primary focus at UNIVEN, Dr Mphephu embraced the opportunity to apply and share his expertise in preparing plant sections for microscopy analyses. He initially honed his hand sectioning skills during his honours research at UNIVEN in 2012, which involved sectioning plant tissue affected by insect galls.
During her visit, Ms Mabasa successfully prepared sections from various plant species collected from fields around the Department of Agriculture at UNIVEN. Upon returning to the University of Limpopo, she applied her newly acquired skills to her research materials, advancing her progress toward completing her MSc degree. Dr Mabulwana expressed gratitude for Dr Mphephu’s support, stating, “We cannot thank you enough. Your invaluable contribution to Mabasa’s MSc research project has given us confidence that she will finalise her thesis in time for examinations.”
Reflecting on the experience, Dr Mphephu shared, “When I received the invitation from Dr Mabul-wana to host Mabasa, I was thrilled. It was a wonderful opportunity to transfer the hand-plant sec-tioning techniques I learned over the past decade. Although my research has made me specialise in entomology, I have always remained passionate about plant sectioning techniques. I welcome anyone interested in learning these skills in the Department of Biological Sciences at UNIVEN and beyond.” Prof Swanepoel, interim SARChI Chair, welcomed the training and highlighted that the SARChI Chair has expertise in many ecological and entomological fields, which can assist students and staff needing assistance or training.
Ms Mabasa shared the hand-plant sectioning technique with her supervisor at the University of Limpopo plant anatomy laboratory.
L-R: Dr Mabulwana Paseka and Ms Danisile Mabasa
Ms Mabasa shines with microscopy sections that she could now prepare by hand at her home university. “I struggled with a microtome (plant sectioning equipment) to produce good microscopy sections since I am working on hard plant materials. Now that I have the right technique, I can beat a microtome, she said.”
Ms Danisile Mabasa
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