Ms Tlholego Maphane

Tlholego Maphane is a lecturer at the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN) from the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. She holds an MSc in Plant Health from Gent University (Belgium), specializing in Nematology, attained in 2014, and a BSc in Molecular Biology and Conservation Biology at Murdoch University in 2005. Mrs Maphane is a strong phytopathology professional with a keen interest in disease diagnostics and management. She has a lot of experience in both field and laboratory work that she gained over the 17 years of employment with BUAN in addition to her formal training. Her keen interest is in biological control of plant pests and maintenance of good soil and environmental health. She therefore seeks to find biological control agents endemic to Botswana to alleviate reliance on pesticides in managing pests of economic importance in the country. In line with One Health approach, it is important to inform the nation about the importance of healthy soils and the associated soil microflora, especially nematodes, and how they can enhance the soil.