Dr Marylyn Christian’s PhD in Plant Breeding, through the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s (UKZN) renowned African Centre for Crop Improvement (ACCI), sought to improve bread wheat quality and drought tolerance by using silicon fertilisers as a selection and breeding trait – a complicated exercise given the inverse correlation of these traits – which opened up new avenues for plant breeding.
Christian of Pietermaritzburg found tremendous value in the support, mentorship, and guidance from UKZN’s staff, taking on the challenge of pursuing a PhD in Plant Breeding after completing her honours and master’s degrees in Plant Pathology.
“The type of research that the ACCI does impacts food security in Africa and globally, producing ground-breaking and highly cited research that showcases the brilliance that Africa, and particularly South Africa, holds in terms of agricultural research,” said Christian.
Titled: ‘Pre-breeding for Silicon-Use Efficiency to Enhance Drought Tolerance and Grain Protein Content in Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)’, Christian’s research targeted the novel area of silicon-use efficiency, aiming to improve bread wheat yield, quality and drought tolerance, challenging traits that are often inversely correlated. Silicon fertilisers can improve crop performance and nutrient quality, particularly under stress. Genetic crosses based on complementary backgrounds and selection for silicon-use efficiency offer new opportunities for wheat breeding.
Producing five scientific articles in international journals, Christian’s research showed that silicon-use efficiency is breed- and application-dependent, with controlled silicon fertilisation improving agronomic performance, grain protein content and trait associations, while supporting breeding for enhanced yield and drought tolerance.
Navigating a challenging topic as well as a pause in her studies to care for her elderly parents and run the family business was demanding but Christian found that the perseverance, passion and patience required by Plant Breeding helped her realign and adjust to difficult circumstances.
Christian thanked her supervisors, Professor Hussein Shimelis, Professor Mark Laing, and Professor Toi Tsilo for their support and motivation, and the ACCI, Agricultural Research Council, Institute for Commercial Forestry Research, the Rockefeller Foundation and the National Research Foundation for funding her research. She also thanked her family, friends and colleagues for their support and assistance.
Christian has set her sights on a career in research, either in academia or agricultural entrepreneurship, and plans to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship at UKZN.
Words: Christine Cuénod
Photograph: Sethu Dlamini