Navona Pillay

• To conduct molecular and microbiological tests for the diagnosis of recognised diseases and for the identification of unknown diseases of sugarcane exported from and imported into Quarantine.
• To conduct molecular tests for the diagnosis of recognised viruses and phytoplasmas and for the identification of unknown viruses and phytoplasmas from field and research samples.
• To use tissue culture techniques to eliminate sugarcane pathogens to produce disease free plants for the Quarantine facility.

• Diagnoinge and identifing plant pathogens and other micro-organisms using specialist molecular and microbiological procedures in the laboratory.
• Plant micropropagation and transformation using somatic embryogenic and meristem tissue culture.

• New molecular techniques to identify sugarcane pathogens.
• Identification of pathogens responsible for new diseases in S.A. sugarcane.

B.Sc. (Microbial Biotechnology)