Meet the team

Professor Carl (Charlie) Frederick Reinhardt

Project leader

The Monsanto/Research Solutions Collaborative Research Programme is led by Professor Charlie Frederick Reinhardt, better known as Charlie. This year marks three decades of specialisation in Weed Science by Prof Charlie Reinhardt at the University of Pretoria.

His research is focused on herbicides and the biology/ecology of weeds occurring in both agronomic and natural ecosystems. In the department of Plant Production and Soil Science various aspects of crop production and protection have been taught and researched for more than seven decades at the University.

His professional academic career started when he joined the Department of Plant Production and Soil Science in 1980 as Research Officer. In 1988 he was promoted to Senior Lecturer, in 1995 to Associate Professor, and in 1999 to Full Professor. He has served as Research Coordinator in the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences from 2000 to 2002, and was appointed Head of Department in January 2002.

Charlie served as HOD until December 2008 when he left UP to become Research Manager at the SA Sugarcane Research Institute. Since January 2011 Charlie is back in Gauteng where he took up a part-time position at UP as Extraordinary Professor in Weed Science.

In the fields of crop production and protection he acts as expert adviser to farmers and industry on issues related to herbicides and weeds management, good agricultural practices (GAP), and supervises postgraduate students at the University.

Dr Juan Voster 
Senior Lecturer in the Department of Plant Production and Soil Science

Co-project leader

Dr Juan Vorster is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Plant Production and Soil Science and is responsible for teaching courses in Crop Physiology as well as Weed Science.

His background is in plant physiology, genetics and biochemistry. After obtaining a PhD in 2008 from the University of Pretoria, he spent time at the Université Laval in Quebec City, Canada in the research group of Prof Dominique Micaud, focusing on protein biochemistry and protein design. Currently he heads the Molecular Plant Physiology Research Group in the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute and is also affiliated with the Genomics Research Institute at the University of Pretoria.

Research in this group focuses on aspects of plant development and molecular mechanisms involved in stress tolerance in crop plants. The research is conducted in collaboration with groups from the University of Leeds (Yorkshire, UK), Université Laval (Quebec, Canada) and Case Western Reserve University (Ohio, USA). Within the SAHRI project Dr Vorster supervises students in the project specifically related to physiological and molecular mechanisms involved in herbicide resistance.

Jaco Snyman

Contract Manager (Research Solutions)

As a Contract Manager with Research Solutions since 2008, Jaco has successfully delivered a wide array of projects to diverse clients both locally in internationally. With a strategic view on clients’ needs and the ability to mobilise commensurate expertise for agile and rigorous solutions, Jaco enjoys adding true value that makes a measurable difference. 

The outcomes from the Monsanto/Research Solutions Collaborative Research Programme is crucial for a competitive and resilient South African and regional agricultural sector.

Martha Okumu

PhD Student: Monsanto/Research Solutions Project

Martha Okumu is pursuing her PhD in Agronomy under the Monsanto/Research Solutions Programme. Her main focus is resistance of weeds to the herbicide glyphosate: mechanism(s) of resistance, physiological and molecular aspects of resistance and ways to prevent resistance from developing.

She holds a BSc in Horticulture from Maseno University, Kenya and a MSc in Plant Protection from the University of Pannonia, Hungary. Her fields of interest is in weed management and finding sustainable solutions for farmers. 

Muntingh Hamman 

Masters student: Monsanto/Research Solutions Project

Muntingh finished his BSc(Agric) Applied plant and soil science degree in 2012 and registered in January 2013 for MSc(Agric) Agronomy Specialization: Weed science. The title of his study is Factors affecting the tolerance of Conyza bonariensis towards the glyphosate herbicide.

The factors that will be assessed are growth stage, temperature, phosphate deficiency and seed source. He will be conducting his research under the supervision of Prof CF Reinhardt and Dr BJ Vorster.

Johan Bestbier

Masters student: Monsanto/Research Solutions Project

Johan completed his BSc Plant Science degree in 2011 and obtained his BSc Honours in Plant Science, cum laude in 2012 from the University of Pretoria. In 2013 he registered for MSc Plant Science with specialisation in Molecular Plant Physiology—Biotechnology.

His master’s study is done in collaboration with the agricultural biotechnology company, Monsanto and under the supervision of Dr BJ Vorster (Department of Plant Production and Soil Science). The title of his research study is; Colorimetric determination and quantification of shikimic acid in glyphosate-susceptible and resistant maize (Zea mays), soybean (Glycine max) and Conyza bonariensis plants by making use of an enzymatic assay and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).

Wendy Malatji

Website Administrator: Monsanto/Research Solutions Project and Staff Researcher: Weed Science

Wendy Malatji joined the Monsanto/Research Solutions Collaborative Research Programme in February 2013. Her main focus is Weed Science. Before joining the Monsanto/Research Solutions team, Wendy spent time working at Manstrat Agricultural Intelligence Solutions in Pretoria as a junior researcher in plant production.

She holds a BInst Agrar in Crop Protection from the University of Pretoria and is now busy with a Masters in Agronomy (Weed Science) at the Institution. She also holds an Agri Management Development Programme certificate from the University of Stellenbosch business school.