Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Transnet, the entity responsible for port infrastructure and the operating thereof, are faced with the difficult task of ensuring that the port system in South Africa is always ready to cater to all import and export requirements of the country. A major portion of these volumes will enter and leave the country in the form of containerised cargo, which effectively unitises the cargo for easier handling. What makes the task for Transnet that much more difficult, is that volumes are not easily forecasted and when one takes into account that ports need to be looking at least ten years down the line to ensure infrastructure can be put in place in time, it makes the problem that much more difficult. International studies show that trade between India, Europe and South America are growing, which provides South Africa with the opportunity to become a hub port based on the countries central location between these three areas. Currently Durban and the recently opened port of Ngqura are and will be serving as hub ports to cater for these and other volumes, but it is not certain under what conditions there would be a need for an additional hub port, if at all. Through the course of this research report three scenarios of growth are examined in an effort to answer this question. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Transnet, die entiteit verantwoordelik vir hawe-infrastruktuur en die werking daarvan, is met die moeilike taak geplaas om te verseker dat die hawe-stelsel in Suid-Afrika altyd gereed is vir al die invoer en uitvoer vereistes van die land. 'n Groot gedeelte van hierdie vereistes sal die land betree en verlaat in die vorm van houers, wat goedere unitiseer vir makliker hantering. Wat die taak vir Transnet soveel moeiliker maak, is dat die volumes nie maklik geskat kan word nie, en wanneer Transnet ten minste tien jaar in die toekoms moet skat om seker te maak dat die infrastruktuur in plek kan gestel word in tyd, maak dit die probleem soveel moeiliker. Internasionale navorsing dui dat die handel tussen Indië, Europa en Suid-Amerika groei, wat vir Suid-Afrika die geleentheid skep om 'n ‘hub port’ to word wat gebaseer is op die land se sentrale ligging tussen hierdie drie lande. Op die oomblik sal Durban en die onlangs geopende hawe van Ngqura, as ‘hub ports’ funksioneer om voorsiening te maak vir hierdie en ander volumes, maar dit is nie seker onder watter omstandighede sou daar 'n behoefte vir 'n ekstra-hub port wees nie. Deur die loop van hierdie navorsing word verslag gelewer van die drie scenario's, en word hierdie vraag ondersoek in 'n poging om hierdie vraag te beantwoord.

Ectomycorrhizal colonisation potential of Pinus radiata seedlings inoculated with the commercially available Trichoderma species bio-inoculant, Arbor-Guard™, was investigated in a commercial containerised nursery setting and in a separate glasshouse experiment, which included the co-inoculation of specific ectomycorrhizal fungi. Application of Arbor-Guard™ to Pinus radiata seedlings in a containerised commercial nursery had no significant effect on the ability of the naturally occurring ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi to colonise the seedlings. Thelephora terrestris was the dominant ectomycorrhizal species colonising the P. radiata root tips and has been described as a species able to rapidly outcompete other ECM species colonisation, particularly in high organic matter media like that used at the containerised commercial nursery investigated. In a similar experiment run to augment the commercial experiment, specific ECM fungi identified as Rhizopogon roseolus, Suillus luteus, and Rhizopogon villosulus were co-inoculated with Arbor-Guard™ to investigate the effect on the colonisation potential of the respective ECM species in combination with Trichoderma. The treatment effect of the addition of Arbor-Guard™ did not negatively impinge on the ECM species found, or the abundance of ECM root tips colonising the P. radiata seedlings. Ectomycorrhizal species in the Thelephoraceae family were the dominant species found colonising the P. radiata root tips. Of the inoculated ECM, S. luteus was the only detected species colonising the P. radiata root tips but was only found in low abundance. Non-conducive abiotic factors for optimum ECM colonisation were considered the most likely reason for the low colonisation of the inoculated ECM species. Any effect of the unintentional co-inoculation of the wood decaying fungi Hypholoma fasciculare and Lentinula edodes, due to misidentification, with the inoculated ECM species was unable to be resolved in this study. However, it was speculated that H. fasciculare may have had a negative effect on the inoculated ECM species colonisation. In vitro dual culture assays were initiated to investigate the specific interactions between each of the candidate ECM fungi inoculated in the glasshouse experiment when challenged with each of the six Trichoderma isolates in Arbor-Guard™. Both competition for nutrients and/ or space were concluded to be the main antagonistic mechanisms potentially used by five of the Trichoderma isolates against all co-inoculated ECM species and L. edodes. Hypholoma fasciculare was not inhibited by the five Trichoderma isolates, however, one Trichoderma isolate (LU 663) competitively antagonised all inoculated ectomycorrhizal/ saprophytic species before the mycelial fronts converged. Agar diffusible secondary metabolites were speculated to be potential mechanism of antagonism expressed by LU 663 over volatile antibiotics such as 6-pentyl-α-pyrone. No direct correlation could be dervived from the in vitro dual culture assays and what was observed in the containerised in planta results. Overall the results indicated no negative impact of the Trichoderma bio-inoculant Arbor-Guard™ on ectomycorrhizal colonisation of Pinus radiata seedlings in a containerised nursery system.