Researcher biography
I hold a PhD in Biological Sciences and have over 15 years of combined experience in molecular plant pathology and biotechnology. Throughout my career, I have worked on viral and fungal bacterial diseases affecting a wide range of economically important crops. I am proficient in both conventional and advanced plant disease diagnostic tools and techniques. I have worked in biosecurity and post-entry quarantine facilities.
My professional background includes mentoring students and staff, examining postgraduate theses, managing plant tissue culture laboratories, lecturing, writing comprehensive reports, and publishing scientific papers. I have collaborated with multidisciplinary teams across South Africa, Australia, Ethiopia, and Kenya. I am skilled in a variety of molecular biology techniques, Sanger and Next Generation Sequencing, and I have hands-on experience with several bioinformatics analysis tools. I place a strong emphasis on compliance with biosecurity measures, workplace health and safety, and gene technology regulations.
Publications
Journal Articles
Harding, Robert, Paul, Jean-Yves, James, Anthony, Smith, Mark, Kleidon, Jennifer, Shekhawat, Upendra, Phillips, Amba, Kidanemariam, Dawit, Dawit, Abigail and Dale, James (2025). QCAV-4, the first genetically modified Cavendish (cv. Grand Nain) banana resistant to Fusarium wilt tropical race 4 approved for commercial production and consumption. Plant Biotechnology Journal, 23 (9), 3628-3637. doi: 10.1111/pbi.70178
Gogile, Ashebir, Kebede, Misrak, Wada, Eyasu, Kidanemariam, Dawit and Abraham, Adane (2024). Survey of farmers' knowledge of yam pests and diseases and management practices in southern Ethiopia. Journal of Integrated Pest Management, 15 (1) 41, 1-10. doi: 10.1093/jipm/pmae030
Abide, Mereme, Kidanemariam, Dawit, Kebede, Misrak, Knierim, Dennis, Margaria, Paolo, Menzel, Wulf and Abraham, Adane (2024). High-throughput sequencing-based detection and characterization of sugarcane viruses in Ethiopia. Journal of Phytopathology, 172 (4) e13358. doi: 10.1111/jph.13358
Gogile, Ashebir, Knierim, Dennis, Margaria, Paolo, Menzel, Wulf, Abide, Mereme, Kebede, Misrak, Kidanemariam, Dawit and Abraham, Adane (2024). White yam (Dioscorea rotundata) plants exhibiting virus-like symptoms are co-infected with a new potyvirus and a new crinivirus in Ethiopia. Virus Genes, 60 (4), 423-433. doi: 10.1007/s11262-024-02077-4
Marais, Ingrid, Buitendag, Carla, Duong, Tuan A., Crampton, Bridget G., Theron, Jacques, Kidanemariam, Dawit and Berger, Dave K. (2024). Double-stranded RNA uptake for the control of the maize pathogen Cercospora zeina. Plant Pathology, 73 (6), 1480-1490. doi: 10.1111/ppa.13909
Gogile, Ashebir, Kebede, Misrak, Kidanemariam, Dawit and Abraham, Adane (2024). Identification of yam mosaic virus as the main cause of yam mosaic diseases in Ethiopia. Heliyon, 10 (5) e26387, 1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26387
Gogile, Ashebir, Markos, Tigist, Kebede, Misrak, Kidanemariam, Dawit and Abraham, Adane (2024). Elimination of yam mosaic virus from yam using an optimized combination of meristem culture and thermotherapy. Australasian Plant Pathology, 53 (2), 185-197. doi: 10.1007/s13313-024-00965-9
Abide, Mereme, Kidanemariam, Dawit, Kebede, Misrak and Abraham, Adane (2023). Sugarcane bacilliform viruses in Ethiopia: genetic diversity and transmission by pink sugarcane mealybug. Australasian Plant Pathology, 52 (6), 613-624. doi: 10.1007/s13313-023-00950-8
Kebede, Muluken, Guadie, Demsachew, Kidanemariam, Dawit and Abraham, Adane (2023). Serological, biological and molecular characterization of viruses causing mosaic diseases on cabbage (Brassica sp L.) in Central Ethiopia. Virusdisease, 34 (2), 213-220. doi: 10.1007/s13337-023-00816-z
Abraham, Adane D. D., Kidanemariam, Dawit B. B. and Holton, Timothy A. A. (2023). The first report of onion yellow dwarf virus infecting onion (Allium cepa) in Ethiopia. Journal of Plant Pathology, 105 (2), 625-625. doi: 10.1007/s42161-023-01341-0
Tan, Y. P., Bishop-Hurley, S. L., Shivas, R. G., Cowan, D. A., Maggs-Kölling, G., Maharachchikumbura, S. S.N., Pinruan, U., Bransgrove, Kaylene L., De la Peña-Lastra, S., Larsson, E., Lebel, T., Mahadevakumar, S., Mateos, A., Osieck, E. R., Rigueiro-Rodríguez, A., Sommai, S., Ajithkumar, K., Akulov, A., Anderson, F. E., Arenas, F., Balashov, S., Bañares,, Berger, D. K., Bianchinotti, M. V., Bien, S., Bilański, P., Boxshall, A. G., Bradshaw, M., Broadbridge, J. ... Crous, P. W. (2022). Fungal Planet description sheets: 1436 –1477. Persoonia, 49, 261-350. doi: 10.3767/persoonia.2022.49.08
Abide, Mereme, Kidanemariam, Dawit, Yimam, Teslim, Worku, Yonas, Kebede, Misrak and Abraham, Adane (2022). Protocol optimization for elimination of sugarcane bacilliform virus and rapid propagation of virus-free sugarcane using meristem tip culture. Tropical Plant Pathology, 47 (5), 693-697. doi: 10.1007/s40858-022-00519-8
Abraham, Adane, Kidanemariam, Dawit B., Winter, Stephan and Vetten, H. J. (2022). A novel nepovirus causing a chlorotic fleck disease on common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Archives of Virology, 167 (10), 2057-2061. doi: 10.1007/s00705-022-05507-6
Sukal, Amit C., Dennien, Sandra, Kidanemariam, Dawit B., Norkunas, Karlah, Coleman, Eric, Harding, Robert M. and James, Anthony P. (2022). Characterisation of Sweet potato collusive virus (SPCV) isolates from sweet potato (Ipomea batatas) in Australia. Australasian Plant Pathology, 51 (4), 391-397. doi: 10.1007/s13313-022-00869-6
Luo, Guo-Fu, Podolyan, Ana, Kidanemariam, Dawit B., Pilotti, Carmel, Houliston, Gary and Sukal, Amit C. (2022). A Review of Viruses Infecting Yam (Dioscorea spp.). Viruses, 14 (4) 662, 1-20. doi: 10.3390/v14040662
Haregu, Simatsidk, Kidanemariam, Dawit and Abraham, Adane (2022). Molecular identification and characterization of badnaviruses infecting sugarcane in Ethiopia. Acta Virologica, 66 (1), 3-10. doi: 10.4149/av_2022_101
Kidanemariam, Dawit B., Sukal, Amit C., Abraham, Adane D., Njuguna, Joyce N., Stomeo, Francesca, Dale, James L., James, Anthony P. and Harding, Robert M. (2021). Incidence of RNA viruses infecting taro and tannia in East Africa and molecular characterisation of dasheen mosaic virus isolates. Annals of Applied Biology, 180 (2), 211-223. doi: 10.1111/aab.12725
James, Anthony P., Kidanemariam, Dawit B., Hamill, Sharon D., Dale, James L. and Harding, Robert M. (2021). Infectivity of an Infectious Clone of Banana Streak CA Virus in A-Genome Bananas (Musa acuminata ssp.). Viruses, 13 (6) 1071, 1-11. doi: 10.3390/v13061071
Sukal, Amit C., Kidanemariam, Dawit B., Dale, James L., Harding, Rob M. and James, Anthony P. (2020). Characterization and genetic diversity of Dioscorea bacilliform viruses present in a Pacific yam germplasm collection. Plant Pathology, 69 (3), 576-584. doi: 10.1111/ppa.13133
Abraham, A. D., Kidanemariam, D. B. and Holton, T. A. (2019). Molecular identification, incidence and phylogenetic analysis of seven viruses infecting garlic in Ethiopia. European Journal of Plant Pathology, 155 (1), 181-191. doi: 10.1007/s10658-019-01760-9
Kidanemariam, Dawit B., Sukal, Amit C., Abraham, Adane D., Njuguna, Joyce N., Mware, Benard O., Stomeo, Francesca, Dale, James L., James, Anthony P. and Harding, Robert M. (2019). Characterisation of a subgroup IB isolate of Cucumber mosaic virus from Xanthosoma sp. in sub-Saharan Africa. Australasian Plant Pathology, 48 (5), 457-460. doi: 10.1007/s13313-019-00645-z
Kidanemariam, Dawit B., Sukal, Am It C., Abraham, Adane D., Njuguna, Joyce N., Stomeo, Francesca, Dale, James L., Harding, Robert M. and James, Anthony P. (2019). Molecular characterisation of a putative new polerovirus infecting pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) in Kenya. Archives of Virology, 164 (6), 1717-1721. doi: 10.1007/s00705-019-04219-8
Sukal, Amit C., Kidanemariam, Dawit B., Dale, James L., Harding, Robert M. and James, Anthony P. (2019). Assessment and optimization of rolling circle amplification protocols for the detection and characterization of badnaviruses. Virology, 529, 73-80. doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2019.01.013
Sukal, Amit C., Kidanemariam, Dawit B., Dale, James L., Harding, Robert M. and James, Anthony P. (2018). Characterization of a novel member of the family Caulimoviridae infecting Dioscorea nummularia in the Pacific, which may represent a new genus of dsDNA plant viruses. PLoS One, 13 (9) e0203038, 1-12. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0203038
Kidanemariam, Dawit Beyene, Sukal, Amit C., Abraham, Adane D., Stomeo, Francesca, Dale, James Langham, James, A. P. and Harding, Rob M. (2018). Identification and molecular characterization of Taro bacilliform virus and Taro bacilliform CH virus from East Africa. Plant Pathology, 67 (9), 1977-1986. doi: 10.1111/ppa.12921
Kidanemariam, D. B., Macharia, M. W., Harvey, J., Holton, T., Sukal, A., James, A. P., Harding, R. M. and Abraham, A. D. (2018). First Report of Dasheen mosaic virus Infecting Taro (Colocasia esculenta) from Ethiopia. Plant Disease, 102 (7), 1470-1470. doi: 10.1094/pdis-12-17-1991-pdn
Kidanemariam, Dawit B., Sukal, Amit C., Crew, Kathy, Jackson, Grahame V. H., Abraham, Adane D., Dale, James L., Harding, Robert M. and James, Anthony P. (2018). Characterization of an Australian isolate of taro bacilliform virus and development of an infectious clone. Archives of Virology, 163 (6), 1677-1681. doi: 10.1007/s00705-018-3783-0
Sukal, Amit, Kidanemariam, Dawit, Dale, James, James, Anthony and Harding, Robert (2017). Characterization of badnaviruses infecting Dioscorea spp. in the Pacific reveals two putative novel species and the first report of dioscorea bacilliform RT virus 2. Virus Research, 238, 29-34. doi: 10.1016/j.virusres.2017.05.027
Kidanemariam, Dawit B., Abraham, Adane D., Sukal, Amit C., Holton, Timothy A., Dale, James L., James, Anthony P. and Harding, Robert M. (2016). Complete genome sequence of a novel zantedeschia mild mosaic virus isolate: the first report from Australia and from Alocasia sp. Archives of Virology, 161 (4), 1079-1082. doi: 10.1007/s00705-015-2745-z