University of Zululand | South Africa
Mr. Siyabonga Ntshalintshali is a Master’s candidate in Plant Sciences at the University of Zululand with research expertise in plant stress physiology, focusing on abiotic and biotic stress tolerance mechanisms in food and indigenous crops. His academic journey builds on a BSc in Agronomy, where he earned the Dean’s Award twice for academic excellence. He has contributed to advancing sustainable agriculture through published and ongoing studies on nitrate priming in Bambara groundnut under salinity stress, host–pathogen interactions involving Fusarium verticillioides and maize, and the effects of Macrophomina phaseolina on crop performance. His research outputs include two peer-reviewed journal articles in the Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science (Wiley) and Plant Stress (Elsevier), both indexed in Scopus and Web of Science, with additional manuscripts submitted to Science of the Total Environment and Planta. According to Google Scholar, he has authored 2 documents with a citation count of 2 and an h-index of 1, reflecting an emerging but growing impact in his field. Siyabonga’s commitment to promoting underutilized crops such as Bambara groundnut has been recognized through awards, including second-best presentation at a scientific symposium. He is a registered Candidate Natural Scientist with SACNASP and actively contributes to advancing resilient and sustainable agricultural systems.
Featured Publications:
Khawula, S., Daniel, A. I., Nyawo, N., Ndlazi, K., Sibiya, S., Ntshalintshali, S., … (2025). Optimizing plant resilience with growth-promoting Rhizobacteria under abiotic and biotic stress conditions. Plant Stress, 100949.
Ntshalintshali, S., Sibiya, S. G. P., Mabuza, N., Nkomo, M., & Buthelezi, L. G. (2025). Seed priming in legume crops: Mechanisms, applications and future directions for enhanced germination, growth and abiotic stress tolerance in sustainable agriculture: A review. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science, 211(5), e70115.