Plant Biotechnology-E2
| Numbering Code | U-LAS14 20067 LE68 | Year/Term | 2022 ・ Second semester | |
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| Number of Credits | 2 | Course Type | Lecture | |
| Target Year | Mainly 1st & 2nd year students | Target Student | For science students | |
| Language | English | Day/Period | Fri.2 | |
| Instructor name | CABANOS，Cerrone Salamat (Graduate School of Agriculture Associate Professor) | |||
| Outline and Purpose of the Course |
Purpose The course will deal with the basic principles and selected applications of biotechnology for plants/agricultural crops, emphasizing the need for a different type of agriculture, in order to support the increasing needs for food (quantity and quality) facing climatic changes as well as increased abiotic and biotic stress conditions. The basic aspects of the major biotechnological tools and solutions will also be discussed. |
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| Course Goals |
1. Gain a deeper understanding of major basic biotechnologies related to agricultural production. 2. Explain the major practical biotechnologies aimed at solving agriculture and food production problems. 3. Evaluate the achieved progress, the possible risks and future needs of agricultural biotechnologies. 4. Be familiar with the ecological, sociological and ethical issues associated with genetically-modified (GM) plants and their products. |
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| Schedule and Contents |
The following topics will be covered during the 14 weeks of the semester. Week 15 is an exam session and feedback class is given at week 16. Main topics 1. Background to general biotechnology: introductory remarks and limitations of traditional agriculture in meeting land, environmental and economic constraints. 2. Overview on the basic procedures in plant biotechnology. 3. Micropropagation and in vitro production of pathogen-free plants. 4. Germplasm storage, conservation of plant genetic resources. 5. Introduction to asexual (somatic) cell genetics: protoplasts, haploids and selection. 6. Introduction to plant transformation and transgenic crop plants: achievements, expectations and public perception. 7. Molecular breeding for plant abiotic stress tolerance (drought, salinity etc.). 8. Molecular breeding for plant pest control (viruses, insects, herbicides). 9. Biotechnology of crop yield and quality traits: improved functional protein content, flowering, ripening, color, scent, plant architecture etc. 10. Genetic engineering for biomaterials: industrial products, pharmaceuticals, bioenergy. Plants as bioreactors. 11. Commercial, legal, sociological, and public aspects of agricultural plant biotechnologies. 12. Intellectual Property Rights in Biotechnology. Plant breeder's rights, farmer's rights, plant variety protection, convention of biodiversity and patenting. |
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| Evaluation Methods and Policy | Grading: Class attendance and active participation (20%), assignment and quizzes (30%), and final exam (50%) | |||
| Course Requirements | English proficiency sufficient for understanding lectures, reading articles and texts, and participating in class discussions. A knowledge of high school biology and chemistry is also required. | |||
| Study outside of Class (preparation and review) | Students should read or listen to the required pre-class materials and submit any required assignment before the class, and come to class ready to participate in class activities. | |||
| Textbooks | Textbooks/References | Introduced during class | ||
| References, etc. | Handouts and supplemental readings will be distributed electronically and/or as a hard copy in class | |||
