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4••MSC BOTANY THIRD SEMESTER SYLLABUS & NOTES | KERALA UNIVERSITY

 

KERALA UNIVERSITY THIRD SEMESTER

 MSC BOTANY  SYLLABUS &  NOTES


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SEMESTER III
BO 531. PLANT BREEDING, HORTICULTURE AND BIOSTATISTICS 


A. PLANT BREEDING 

Module I

1. Methods of crop improvement.

2. Plant Introduction: types and procedure.

 Sources of germplasm. 

Centres of genetic diversity.

Concepts of de Candolle and Vavilov. 


Primary, secondary and microcenters.

 Preservation and utilization and exchange of germplasm. 

Gene banks. Agencies of Plant introduction: – NBPGR, IARI, FRI, BSI 

3. Selection methods:
 Mass selection, pure line selection, clonal selection.

Types of cultivars: Pure line, Open pollinated, Hybrid, Clonal, Synthetic, Multiline & Composite cross cultivar.


4. Hybridization: Objectives. Procedure. Major achievements.
 Problems and causes of failure of hybridization.
 Handling of hybrids – Bulk method and pedigree method of selection. 
Distant hybridization – Role of interspecific and intergeneric hybridization in crop Improvement.

Module II

1. Genetics of incompatibility and sterility.

 Role in crop improvement. Types of male sterility 
2. Gametic and zygotic sterility. Somatoplastic sterility.

 Cytoplasmic and genetic sterility.

Methods to overcome incompatibility.

3. Backcross breeding: Theory and procedure 

4. Inbreeding: inbreeding consequences.
Heterosis; Breeding steps in the production of single cross, double cross, three-way cross, synthetic cross, multilines.

Ideotype breeding: Concept, Achievements: (Wheat – Asana, Donald. Rice – Super Rice) 

Module III

1. Polyploidy Breeding: induction of autopolyploidy and allopolyploidy, chromosome addition and substitution lines, achievements 

2. Mutation breeding: Principles, objectives, procedure. Induction of mutations

mutations: Physical and chemical mutagens - Recurrent irradiation, Split dose irradiation, Combination treatment, Achievements

3. Resistance breeding: Principles, Methodology, 
Basis of resistance: Structural, biochemical, physiological and genetic; Gene for gene systems of plants; vertical and horizontal resistance;

 Artificial production of epiphytotic conditions and screening procedure for resistance 

4. Centres of crop breeding: International and National (with special References to Kerala) Seed production and certification

5. Plant breeder's rights Act. 

National Biodiversity Policy 


B. HORTICULTURE


Module I

1. Concept and Scope - Familiarization of famous Botanical gardens in the world and in India

2. Mechanical Garden tools and Implements: Digging tools, Pruning tools, Weeding tools, Planting tools, Manuring tools

3. Plant growing structures Polyhouse
-Greenhouse, Glasshouse and Mist chamber,

4. Plant propagation:
 Seed propagation and vegetative propagation: Cuttings: root, stem, leaf. Layering: Air layering, Ground layering (Tip, Trench and Compound). Budding :Patch budding, T - budding. Grafting Approach grafting, Bridge grafting, whip and tongue grafting.

Module II

5. Principles of garden making; Types and design of gardens: Vegetable/ medicinal/ floral. Home gardens, public gardens, vertical gardens,

 roof gardens.

 Lawns and landscaping Trees, shrubs and shrubberies, climbers and creepers, 

Flower beds and borders, 

ornamental hedges, edges, Drives,

  Roads in horticulture , walks and  Paths, Carpet beds,  topiary,     

trophy, 

Rockery 

Indoor garden, Roof garden,  Terrarium,

 Bonsai,


6. Soil preparation and irrigation methods: Soil types, Potting mixture and potting media - soil sand, peat, sphagnum moss, vermiculite. Types of pots and containers. Irrigation methods - drip, irrigation and sprinkler irrigation.

7. Flower Arrangement; Containers and requirements for flower arrangements Free style, Shallow and Mass arrangement; Japanese - Ikebana; Bouquet and garland making; Dry flower arrangement; Harvesting Methods - Anthurium and Orchid &Storage; Marketing of Fruits, vegetables and flowers; Preservation and processing of fruits and vegetables.


Module III

8. Commercial horticultural practices: Nurseries, Orchards, Cultural practices - Thinning, training, trimming and pruning. Kokedama, Bonsai, Hydroponics

9.Growth regulators and Plant protection: Hormones (Rooting, Fruiting and Flowering). Weedicides, Fungicides, Pesticides
(3 hrs)



10. Nursery management and Arboriculture: - Nursery making and Types of Nurseries. Pruning, bracing, feeding and transplanting

11. Pest management; Integrated pest management in Horticultural plants.

 12. Harvesting and post harvesting technology of Horticultural crops; Waxing of horticultural crops, Evaporative cool storage of horticultural crops, Pre- packaging of horticultural crops, Cold storage of horticultural crops, Modified | atmosphere packaging (MAP) of horticultural crops, Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage of horticultural crops, Cold chain of horticultural crops, Irradiation of horticultural crops, Edible coatings of horticultural crops.

13. Role of different funding agencies of Horticulture in Kerala and India Practicals
(1 hr)

__________________________________________________

C. BIOSTATISTICS 


1. Sampling methods and errors


2. Collection, classification and tabulation of data - Diagrammatic and graphic representation. Line diagram, Bar diagram, Pie diagram, Histogram, Frequency curve, frequency polygon Ogives.


3. Measures of dispersion - range, quartile deviation, mean deviation, standard deviation, Coefficient of variation

4. Probability - basic concepts, theorems of probability

5. Experimental designs - randomized block designs, split plot design, Latin square

6. Test of significance - t-test, chi square test

7. Correlation and regression analysis

8. F-test, ANOVA, T test, Least Significant Difference (LSD), PCA, Broad sense heritability.



BO 532. BIOCHEMISTRY, PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

A. BIOCHEMISTRY

Module I - Phytochemistry and Metabolism

1. pH and buffers.  Properties of water,

 acids bases and buffers. 

Henderson - Hasselbalch equation

pH, pKa.     Common buffers




2. Structure of Carbohydrate.

 function of carbohydrate   and 

metabolism of carbohydrates -  
 Synthesis of starch, cellulose and sucrose. Interconversion of hexoses and pentoses.


3. Structure,  function  and metabolism of lipids:

 Biosynthesis of fatty acids.

 Biosynthesis of Triacyl glycerol.

 Gluconeogenesis .
 
 Membrane lipids.      Lipid oxidation

4. Proteins and amino acids: Structure and classification of amino acids. Biosynthesis of amino acids.
 Classification of protein based on structure,

Classification of protein based on function

 Classification based on localization sites.

 Primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure.

 Protein domains.

 Ramachandran plot. Purification of proteins.

 5. Secondary metabolites - Classification. Pathways of synthesis - Shikimic acid and mevalonate pathways. Applications and uses of sec metabolites. 6. Biosynthesis of purines and pyrimidines. Metabolism of nucleotides.

 Module II - Enzymology

1. Enzymes: IUB system of classification and nomenclature. 

Distribution of plant enzymes.  

Soluble and membrane bound enzymes. Co enzymes, substrate specificity, regulation of enzyme activity, Inhibitors, allosteric enzymes. Isozymes. Ribozymes. Abzymes. Enzyme kinetics. the Michaelis - Menten equation, Lineweaver - Burk plot, 

Km   and   Vmax. 
Multienzymes


B. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY
Module 3 - Photosynthesis and its Applications

1. Photosynthesis: Efficiency and turn over. Light harvesting complexes. (10 hrs) Photosystem I and II - Structure and function. Mechanism of electron transport. 

Water oxidizing clock.

  Rubisco Structure and function. CO2 fixation: C3, C4
and CAM pathways. Energetics of CO2 fixation. Photo inhibition.


2. Photorespiration and glycolate metabolism. Comparison of C3 and C4 plants. (4 hrs) Factors regulating photorespiration.

3. Transport of metabolites - Xylem and Phloem sap translocation.

4. Applications of photosynthesis - Direct Harvesting of Electricity from Plant Photosynthesis. Optimization of photosynthesis for sustainable crop production


Module 4 - Respiration Seed Physiology and Growth
1. Respiration. Anaerobic, aerobic. Glycolysis, TCA cycle, ETS and ATP (10 hrs. synthesis, transporters involved in exchange of substrate of products, Pentose)
| phosphate pathway

2   .Photo regulation and growth responses. Phytochromes and Plant morphogenesis. 

Plant hormones - 

Auxins,   Cytokinin,   ABA --Notes,

 Gibberellic acid , Salicylic acid, Jasmonates and Brassinosteroids. Physiological effects and mechanism of action.
(4 hrs)
3. Physiology of flowering, fruit ripening, senescence and abscission.

 4. Seed physiology, 

glyoxylate cycle in fatty seeds during germination

 5. Biological clock and circadian rhythm.

6. Nitrogen assimilation. Nitrate and ammonium assimilation. Symbiotic and non symbiotic N2 fixation. Role of leg hemoglobin. Molecular mechanism of | biological nitrogen fixation
-
7. Plant Signaling and Signal Transduction,

 Signal perception and transduction, Secondary messengers cyclic nucleotides (cAMP and cGMP), inositol trisphosphate (IP3), diacylglycerol (DAG) and calcium ions (Ca2+). Intracellular signaling.

8. Physiological response of plants to stresses like drought, heat and cold. Salt tolerance in plants.

9. Role of phytoalexins. Defense mechanism. Phenyl propanoid pathway in plants. 

Allelopathy - Plant derived compounds.



C. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

1. Introduction to Research methodology.

2. Sources of data - Primary and secondary.

3. Research design: objectives, defining a problem, derivation of hypothesis, review of literature, experimental design, data analysis, writing the thesis.
(2 hrs)
4. Ethical aspects of scientific research

5. Experimental design: methodology – analytical, biochemical, molecular. 6. Data analysis - use of statistical tools, interpretation of results. 7. Writing a research paper: using biological literature, deciding on a title, presenting the methodology, drafting and revising the content according to the journal requirements, citing sources in the text, preparing the References section. Common tools for References preparation.







BO 533. MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, IMMUNOLOGY AND PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY


A. MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Module I - Basics in Molecular Biology

1  The RNA World.   Molecular Clock.

2.DNA Topology - Twist and Writhe. Supercoiling. Proteins involved in DNA Replication, importance of Telomere and Telomerase.
3
Protein Folding. Role of Molecular Chaperones.
(1 hr)
4. Isolation and purification of RNA, DNA (genomic and plasmid), different separation methods.
(2 hrs)
(5 hrs)
5. Molecular cloning of DNA. Cutting and joining DNA Molecules, Restriction endonucleases. Cloning vectors - features. Plasmids, Cosmids, Bacteriophage vectors, Phagemids, Yeast artificial chromosome (YAC), Bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) and P1 phage vectors. Selection and analysis of cloned DNA sequences.
Module II - Techniques in Molecular Biology
1. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) Procedure and Components. Types of PCR i) inverse PCR. ii) Rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) iii) Real - time | quantitative PCR. PCR applications
(4 hrs)
2. Generation of genomic and cDNA libraries.
(2 hrs)
3. Restriction digestion and ligation; Restriction mapping. Molecular mapping using RFLP markers
(3 hrs)
4. Sequencing genes and short stretc. hes of DNA including Sanger dideoxy sequencing and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS brief account only). RNA sequencing. DNA barcoding. Transcriptome analysis.
(4 hrs)
5. In vitro mutagenesis and deletion techniques, gene knock out in bacterial and eukaryotic organisms.
(2 hrs)
6. Protein sequencing methods, detection of post translation modification of proteins. Foot Printing Assay. Proteome engineering and proteome analysis. 7. Methods for analysis of gene expression at RNA and protein level, large scale expression such as micro array based techniques.


8.Molecular markers - RFLP, RAPD and AFLP techniques.

9. Blotting techniques  :  Southern blotting-- Notes ,

 Western Slotting ,   Northern slotting  and Dot Blotting  . Labeling of Nucleic acids.


10. New Trends in Gene modification:
-
Random and targeted interference,


B. IMMUNOLOGY

1. Immunity - mechanism; Innate and adaptive immune system: cells and molecules involved in innate and adaptive immunity.

2. Antigens, antigenicity and immunogenicity. B and T cell epitopes. 

3. Structure and function of antibody molecules, generation of antibody molecules, generation of antibody diversity.

4. Antigen antibody interactions, MHC molecules, antigen processing and presentation, activation and differentiation of B and T cell, B&T cell receptors.

5. Humoral and cell mediated immune responses, primary and secondary immune modulation, the complement system, Toll like receptors cell mediated effector functions.


6. Inflammation, hypersensitivity and auto immunity, immune response during bacterial (tuberculosis) parasitic (malaria) and viral (HIV) infections, congenital and acquired immune - deficiencies, Vaccines.

7. Immunotechniques. Monoclonal antibodies,

 single B cell technology,

 Antibody engineering.

 Immuno Assays - RIA--- Notes and ELISA----Notes

8. Autiimmunity. Auto immune diseases (brief account only). Tissue and organ transplantation mechanism, graft versus host reaction, Factors affecting graft survival, immunosuppressive therapy.


C. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY

1. Definition Scope and impact of biotechnology - an overview

Plant tissue culture - Historical aspects and scope.

2.Plant tissue culture techniques:
 Choice of explant,   culture media 

and culture conditions, hormonal regulation of growth and differentiation,

 Cyto differentiation, organogenic differentiation; micropropagation; shoot tip, nodal segment, meristem cultures: callus culture, callus mediated organogenesis, cell suspension culture, cell line selection.

3.Somaclonal and Gametoclonal variations. Genetic basis. Applications
(3 hrs)
4. Somatic embryogenesis. Principles, concept of somatic embryogenesis, ontogeny and development of somatic embryos. Artificial seeds. Applications. Protoplast isolation and culture, Somatic hybridization and its impact on plant breeding. Use of protoplasts in genetic transformations.
(6 hrs)

5. Haploid production:
Anther culture --Notes 
 ovule culture.  Dihaploids and polyhaploids. Applications.

6. Production of secondary metabolites. Types of suspension culture, batch culture, continuous culture, open continuous, closed continuous, semi continuous, growth measurements, techniques for single cell culture, production of secondary metabolites. Cell immobilization. Bioreactor technology. Methods of enhancement of secondary metabolite production in culture. Problem associated with secondary metabolite production
7. Cryopreservation Technology
-
In - vitro strategies for conservation of germplasm, short term and long term cryopreservation. Techniques of cryopreservation. determination of survival and viability, plant growth and regeneration, applications of cryopreservation
8. Genetic engineering: Methods and applications. Applications of gene cloning techniques in plants. Gene targeting and sequence tags.

9.
Methods of gene transfer in plants. Agrobacterium and CaMV mediated gene transfer; direct gene transfer using PEG, microinjection, electroporation, microprojectile (biolistics) method, liposome mediated DNA delivery, Transposons as vectors.
(5 hrs)
10. Application of Plant Biotechnology: - Transgenic plants - Traits for improved (10 hrs) crop production - Field testing of transgenic plants. Application of transgenic plants: Crop improvemrnt, Herbicide resistance, stress tolerance; Vaccines from Plants, Genetic Pesticides, Pathogen resistance. Recombinant DNA techniques for the production of transgenic plants, procedure and protocols of producing transgenic plants. Molecular farming of antibodies in plants and Enhanced Nutrition Technique and Controversy of Terminator Gene Technology.
11. Genetically modified organisms and foods (GMO/GMF) - Social and ethical considerations. IPR issues. Patents. Biopiracy.


12. Bionanotechnology and its applications (brief account).



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