When Professor Marshall Keyster was a young boy, he ran through the fields to get to school, just like many other youngsters. But he was different—he stopped to smell the roses. As a boy, he developed a connection with plants, which encouraged him to study their critical role in sustaining life.
Professor Marshall Keyster
Over the past 12 years, his passion for his work has been contributing to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals Two and Three, which speak about zero hunger and good health and well-being.
“Plants are life,” noted Prof Keyster last night in his inaugural lecture, Decoding the Plant-Human Health Nexus – for the Greater Food, at the University of the Western Cape (UWC).
“I’m giving plants carbon dioxide, and the plant is giving me oxygen. We are giving plants what they need to survive, and they are giving us the necessary elements to survive. It is a vital cycle in life that keeps us alive”.
During his inaugural lecture—the first at UWC since 2016—Prof Keyster based his talk on several studies he had conducted with various collaborators and students, locally and abroad.
Prof Keyster, the Research Chair of Sustainable Agriculture in the Department of Biotechnology at UWC, recounted his early research experiences, including his PhD work on the role of nitric oxide in regulating various plant processes such as seed germination, root development, and nutrient uptake.
He discussed the findings on the importance of nitric oxide in nodule formation and nitrogen fixation in legumes, which laid the foundation for future research.
Much of Prof Keyster’s lecture focused on his current projects involving plant-microbe interactions. He highlighted his collaborative work on using endophytic fungi to enhance plant growth and resistance to pathogens.
Specific examples included using Beauveria bassiana fungi to control fungal diseases in plants caused by Fusarium species, and isolating bioactive compounds from fungi found in extreme environments.
Prof Keyster discussed the work of identifying and characterising bioactive compounds from plants and fungi that could have potential applications in agriculture, medicine and other industries. He presented his findings on the effects of compounds like bionectin on plant stress tolerance, nutrient regulation and cancer cell proliferation.
Furthermore, the discussion covered his research on understanding and manipulating nutrient regulation in plants. He described experiments using bacteria to modulate nutrient levels in plants under stress conditions, such as the presence of toxic compounds. He also highlighted the use of quantum dots to track nutrient movement within plants.
In addition, Prof Keyster was involved in studies that have revealed promising methods to help plants survive and thrive despite heavy metal pollution in soils. Heavy metal pollution, primarily caused by industrial activities such as mining, severely threatens agriculture.
Metals like vanadium and zirconium can seep into the soil, adversely affecting plants by stunting their growth, turning their leaves yellow, and even killing their cells. This pollution makes it increasingly challenging for farmers to grow healthy crops and maintain good yields.
The first study examined how 3,3′-Diindolylmethane (DIM) — a compound found in vegetables like broccoli and cabbage — helped canola plants cope with vanadium pollution. Vanadium is known to stunt plant growth and cause oxidative stress, leading to cell damage.
Prof Keyster and his team treated canola seedlings with DIM and observed that these plants grew better, remained greener, and experienced less cell damage than untreated plants.
DIM enhanced the production of specific enzymes that protect against cell damage, making the plants more robust and healthier even under vanadium stress.
The second study, conducted by Prof Keyster with a UWC team and published in Scientific Reports, investigated how methylglyoxal (MG) — a naturally occurring compound in plants — helped radishes deal with zirconium pollution.
Zirconium can also harm plant growth and health. In this study, radish seedlings treated with MG showed improved growth, higher chlorophyll levels (which are crucial for photosynthesis), and absorbed less zirconium from the soil.
MG appeared to bolster the plant's natural defence systems, enabling them to handle stress better and reduce the amount of zirconium they absorbed.
DIM and MG treatments helped plants produce fewer harmful molecules that cause cell damage and increased the activity of protective enzymes, aiding plants in defending themselves against further damage. As a result, the plants treated with these compounds grew better and maintained overall health under heavy metal stress.
These findings are significant for sustainable farming. Farmers can grow better crops, even in polluted soils, using natural compounds like DIM and MG. This approach is environmentally friendly and supports healthier, more resilient plants.
UWC Rector and Vice-Chancellor: Professor, Tyrone Pretorius, Professor Marshall Keyster, UWC Registrar, Dr Nita Lawton-Misra, Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic, Professor Shaun Pather
Looking to the future, Prof Keyster emphasised the potential role of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics in future research endeavours.
He spoke about the development of a phenotyping robot capable of capturing plant images and producing data, which could be analysed using AI algorithms to gain insights into plant growth and developmental studies.
Professor Marshall Keyster“Plants are life,” noted Prof Keyster last night in his inaugural lecture, Decoding the Plant-Human Health Nexus – for the Greater Food, at the University of the Western Cape (UWC).
“I’m giving plants carbon dioxide, and the plant is giving me oxygen. We are giving plants what they need to survive, and they are giving us the necessary elements to survive. It is a vital cycle in life that keeps us alive”.
During his inaugural lecture—the first at UWC since 2016—Prof Keyster based his talk on several studies he had conducted with various collaborators and students, locally and abroad.
Prof Keyster, the Research Chair of Sustainable Agriculture in the Department of Biotechnology at UWC, recounted his early research experiences, including his PhD work on the role of nitric oxide in regulating various plant processes such as seed germination, root development, and nutrient uptake.
He discussed the findings on the importance of nitric oxide in nodule formation and nitrogen fixation in legumes, which laid the foundation for future research.
Much of Prof Keyster’s lecture focused on his current projects involving plant-microbe interactions. He highlighted his collaborative work on using endophytic fungi to enhance plant growth and resistance to pathogens.
Specific examples included using Beauveria bassiana fungi to control fungal diseases in plants caused by Fusarium species, and isolating bioactive compounds from fungi found in extreme environments.
Prof Keyster discussed the work of identifying and characterising bioactive compounds from plants and fungi that could have potential applications in agriculture, medicine and other industries. He presented his findings on the effects of compounds like bionectin on plant stress tolerance, nutrient regulation and cancer cell proliferation.
Furthermore, the discussion covered his research on understanding and manipulating nutrient regulation in plants. He described experiments using bacteria to modulate nutrient levels in plants under stress conditions, such as the presence of toxic compounds. He also highlighted the use of quantum dots to track nutrient movement within plants.
In addition, Prof Keyster was involved in studies that have revealed promising methods to help plants survive and thrive despite heavy metal pollution in soils. Heavy metal pollution, primarily caused by industrial activities such as mining, severely threatens agriculture.
Metals like vanadium and zirconium can seep into the soil, adversely affecting plants by stunting their growth, turning their leaves yellow, and even killing their cells. This pollution makes it increasingly challenging for farmers to grow healthy crops and maintain good yields.
The first study examined how 3,3′-Diindolylmethane (DIM) — a compound found in vegetables like broccoli and cabbage — helped canola plants cope with vanadium pollution. Vanadium is known to stunt plant growth and cause oxidative stress, leading to cell damage.
Prof Keyster and his team treated canola seedlings with DIM and observed that these plants grew better, remained greener, and experienced less cell damage than untreated plants.
DIM enhanced the production of specific enzymes that protect against cell damage, making the plants more robust and healthier even under vanadium stress.
The second study, conducted by Prof Keyster with a UWC team and published in Scientific Reports, investigated how methylglyoxal (MG) — a naturally occurring compound in plants — helped radishes deal with zirconium pollution.
Zirconium can also harm plant growth and health. In this study, radish seedlings treated with MG showed improved growth, higher chlorophyll levels (which are crucial for photosynthesis), and absorbed less zirconium from the soil.
MG appeared to bolster the plant's natural defence systems, enabling them to handle stress better and reduce the amount of zirconium they absorbed.
DIM and MG treatments helped plants produce fewer harmful molecules that cause cell damage and increased the activity of protective enzymes, aiding plants in defending themselves against further damage. As a result, the plants treated with these compounds grew better and maintained overall health under heavy metal stress.
These findings are significant for sustainable farming. Farmers can grow better crops, even in polluted soils, using natural compounds like DIM and MG. This approach is environmentally friendly and supports healthier, more resilient plants.
UWC Rector and Vice-Chancellor: Professor, Tyrone Pretorius, Professor Marshall Keyster, UWC Registrar, Dr Nita Lawton-Misra, Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic, Professor Shaun PatherHe spoke about the development of a phenotyping robot capable of capturing plant images and producing data, which could be analysed using AI algorithms to gain insights into plant growth and developmental studies.
